India, March 19 -- The Iranian national football team has withdrawn its threat to boycott the FIFA World Cup 2026 and will continue preparations for the finals, but remains firm on one condition - it will not travel to the United States, football chief Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday.

Iran were among the first teams to qualify for the tournament, scheduled between June 11 and July 19 across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. However, their participation has been clouded by escalating tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States since late February.

As part of their build-up, Iran will play two warm-up matches - against Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica four days later in Antalya - in a four-nation invitational tournament in Turkey...