This article contains adult content that may be inappropriate for minors. Please confirm that you are 18 years or older to continue. This article contains images or details that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed that he met with the President of the United States, and Donald Trump assured him that he welcomed Iran's participation in this year's World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Iran was the only country absent from the FIFA summit for planning participants in the World Cup, held last week in Atlanta, which intensified questions about whether the national team would compete on American soil this summer amid a war in the Middle East. Previously, Trump had stated that he was not concerned about Iranian participation, as it was a "very strongly defeated country." "We also talked about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the national team has qualified to participate in the World Cup. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, 'welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.' We all need an event like the World Cup to unite people now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the USA for his support, as it once again shows that football unites the world," he wrote on social media. Iran secured participation in its fourth consecutive World Cup by leading Group A in the third round of Asian qualification last year, but Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian federation, said that "the brutality of the attacks by American and Israeli forces is not a good omen for a World Cup that will take place from June 11 to July 19." The Iranians are in Group G with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. The Iranian team's matches are scheduled in the United States, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. If the USA and Iran finish second in their respective groups, the two countries could face each other in a knockout match on July 3 in Dallas.
World Cup Donald Trump remains central to this story.
World Cup Donald Trump remains central to this story.
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