The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched global sporting event, and the 23rd edition of the competition is set to kick off on 11th June this year. The tournament will take place across three countries this year, USA, Canada, and Mexico.
While the anticipation is as high as ever, there seems to be a lot of doubt surrounding the competition currently. This is because the host nation USA, is currently involved in a major conflict with Iran. As a result, several other countries that are taking part in the tournament from the Middle East have been affected.
As fans begin to wonder if the tournament will begin as scheduled, FIFA’s COO has cleared all doubts.
FIFA World Cup is too big to be postponed, claims COO
While speaking at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas, the COO of FIFA, Helmo Schirgi, set the record straight. Upon being asked about Iran’s participation in the World Cup, considering the team would have to travel to the USA.
Schirgi suggested that the organisation is closely monitoring the situation and the competition should go ahead as planned. He said, “At some stage, we will have a resolution, and the World Cup will go on, obviously. The World Cup is too big, and we hope that everyone can participate that has qualified.”
FIFA's World Cup chief operating officer says the tournament is "too big" to be postponed because of global turmoil caused by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. https://t.co/YLObqugqAq
— Washington Times Sports (@WashTimesSports) March 10, 2026
While this clears the doubt about the FIFA World Cup going ahead as planned, a resolution between Iran and the USA remains vital for the country to be able to go to the States to play in the competition. The Middle East side has been drawn in Group G and will take on Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt.
It is worth noting that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the biggest in history. 48 countries have qualified for the tournament. As far as the hosting of the tournament is concerned, it will be played across 16 cities, 11 in the USA, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.
That said, it will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds in the coming months and if all the countries that qualified for the competition are able to play or not.
