Iran’s World Cup Press Conference Turns Tense as FIFA Limits Questions to Football

Iran’s national team is set to begin its 2026 World Cup campaign after months of uncertainty. The team, drawn in Group G with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand, will play its opener tomorrow, Tuesday at 4:00 a.m. against New Zealand.

Ahead of the match, coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi held a press conference. Before it began, a FIFA moderator said the Iranian Football Association had requested that only football-related questions be asked, and that other subjects were off limits, against the backdrop of tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

American media described the event as heated and unusual, noting that almost all of the roughly 150 seats prepared for journalists were taken. The report said the room had the feel of a press conference for a title favorite, and that it lasted about 26 minutes, still not long enough to cover much tactical ground.

During the session, one reporter asked whether it would be allowed to display the pre-revolution flag of Iran. The moderator cut him off and said, “This is not related to the game.” The reporter objected, but the question went unanswered.

Ghalenoei insisted, “We are here to play football. We will represent the Iranian people with honor, we think only about them, and we are not politicians. The separation between football and politics is a FIFA slogan. We respect the Iranian people.” Taremi added that he did not think anyone had asked truly football-related questions, saying, “We are here to play football. I believe this sport can unite everyone... we came here to make our people happy.”