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2 min readMar 10, 2026 04:12 PM IST
The FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed during the FIFA World Cup 2026 playoff draw in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Claudio Thoma/Keystone via AP)
With the future of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 in limbo due to the ongoing conflict involving the USA, Israel and Iran, FIFA’s World Cup chief operating officer (COO), Heimo Schirgi, says the tournament is “too big” to be postponed because of the global turmoil in the Middle East.
“If I had a crystal ball, I could tell you now what is going to happen, but obviously the situation is developing,” Schirgi said at the International Broadcast Centre for the 48-nation tournament on Monday.
“It’s changing day by day, and we are monitoring closely. We’re working together with all our federal partners and also our international partners in evaluating the situation, and we basically take it day by day, and at some stage, we will have a resolution. And the World Cup will go on, obviously, right? The World Cup is too big, and we hope that everyone who has qualified can participate,” he added.
Schirgi said FIFA continues to closely monitor the Iran war and its fallout.
The tournament, expanded from 32 nations to 48, is scheduled for 11 US venues, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
While the Trump administration has imposed a travel ban on four of the nations that have qualified — Iran, Ivory Coast, Haiti and Senegal — it says it will make an exception for players, team officials and immediate relatives. Schirgi said FIFA is in constant contact with Iran’s football federation for updates, but he would not share any details about those conversations.
“Given the state of the world today, this will be a great opportunity to bring everyone together. For those who have not experienced the World Cup, the World Cup is very special because it’s truly global and it brings everybody together. We witnessed that in Qatar, in Russia, everywhere. People were amazed at how international this whole thing is,” Schirgi said.
(With AP inputs)
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