FIFA COO: “World Cup is too big to postpone due to conflict in Middle East”

FIFA Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi said the World Cup was “too big” and the 2026 tournament would go ahead as planned despite conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking at the Dallas International Broadcast Center on Monday, Shirgi was asked specifically about Iran, whose participation in the World Cup is uncertain due to the war between Israel and the United States.

“At some stage we will have a resolution and obviously the World Cup will go on,” Schirgi said, according to NBC 5 in Dallas. “The World Cup is so big that we want everyone who qualifies to take part.”

Schirgi said FIFA was closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East while also working with federal and international partners to assess the situation on a day-to-day basis.

FIFA said last week that it was closely monitoring the situation in Iran just months ahead of the start of the World Cup in June. Iran qualified for the finals through participation in the Asian Football Conference.

Iran will play Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G. Two of those games will be played in Los Angeles and one game will be played in Seattle. Schirgi said FIFA had been in contact with the Iranian football federation but declined to give details of those talks.

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest World Cup in history, with 3 and 48 countries competing. The United States will host games in 11 cities, Mexico will host games in three cities, and Canada will host games in two cities.

FIFA officials announced plans for a fan festival in Dallas, where the International Broadcast Center was still under construction inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Schirgi said IBC will operate around the clock during the World Cup and is expected to bring 3,000 to 3,500 media members to Dallas.

–Field level media