World Cup 2026: USMNT could face Iran at Dallas Stadium

Published June 10, 2026 5:09 PM CDT

With tensions between the two nations at an all-time high, the U.S. Men's National Team could face off against Iran in the World Cup.

The match-up is far from a guarantee, but depending on the teams' performance in the group stage, the game could be held in Arlington.

Potential USMNT-Iran game

Source: Getty Images

Dig deeper:

For the World Cup, nations are split into four-team groups.

The U.S. is in Group D, while Iran is in Group G.

After the group stage, the second place finisher in Group D and the second place finisher in Group G will play against each other in the knockout round. The game will be held on July 3 at Dallas Stadium.

Dallas Stadium matches

Dallas Stadium in Arlington will be home to nine World Cup matches.

Group Stage

  • Sunday, June 14: Netherlands vs. Japan, 3:00 pm CT on FOX
  • Wednesday, June 17: England vs. Croatia, 3:00 pm CT on FOX
  • Monday, June 22: Argentina vs. Austria, 2:00 pm CT on FOX
  • Thursday, June 25: Japan vs. Sweden, 6:00 pm CT on FS1
  • Saturday, June 27: Jordan vs. Argentina, 9:00 pm on FOX

Round of 32

  • Tuesday, June 30: Group E (second place) vs Group I (second place), 12:00 pm CT on FOX
  • Friday, July 3: Group D (second place) vs Group G (second place), 1:00 pm CT on FOX

Round of 16

  • Monday, July 6: 2:00 pm CT on FOX

Semi-Final

  • Tuesday, July 14: 2:00 pm CT on FOX

USMNT World Cup Schedule

  • Friday, June 12: USA vs. Paraguay, 8:00 pm CT on FOX - Los Angeles
  • Friday, June 19: USA vs. Australia, 2:00 pm CT on FOX - Seattle
  • Thursday, June 25: USA vs. Türkiye, 9:00 pm CT on FOX - Los Angeles

Iran World Cup Schedule

  • Monday, June 15: Iran vs. New Zealand, 8:00 pm CT - Los Angeles
  • Sunday, June 21: Iran vs. Belgium, 2:00 pm CT - Los Angeles
  • Friday, June 26: Iran vs. Egypt, 10:00 pm CT - Seattle

US-Iran war

Big picture view:

The U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Peace talks between the U.S. and Iran are ongoing, but so far the two nations have not been able to come to an agreement.

The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran has refused to give up the uranium supply and wants relief from sanctions. 

Iran's World Cup struggles

What they're saying:

Most of Iran's World Cup team have not been able to play a competitive game since its domestic league was shut down by the war in February.

Iran had planned to train in Tucson, Arizona prior to the war. The team is now holding its camp in Tijuana, Mexico.

Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA task force, said Tuesday that the Iranian team would be able to enter the U.S. the day before their match.

Iran's national soccer federation claimed Tuesday that FIFA revoked the ticket allocation for the team's three group stage games in the United States.

FIFA has total authority over ticketing operations at the World Cup, yet the Iranian soccer body suggested "the United States has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums."

FIFA said in a statement Tuesday it is "working closely with the IR Iran Football Federation to identify compliant solutions that maximize opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches."

This comes as some federation officials have been denied visas to enter the U.S.

The Source: Information in this article comes from FIFA and the Associated Press.

FIFA World CupSportsArlingtonDallasIran War