Iran will play their World Cup matches in the United States, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has insisted.
Iran's participation has been the subject of uncertainty since the US and Israel launched air strikes on the country on February 28.
The country's football association officials were the only one of FIFA's 211 member nations absent from Thursday's FIFA congress in Vancouver.
Infantino opened his congress address by insisting the Iranian team would participate at the finals in north America.
"Let me start at the outset by confirming straight away, for those who maybe want to say something else or write something else, that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026," Infantino said, to cheers from the assembled delegates.
"And of course, Iran will play in the USA. The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together."
However, Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali has ruled out the possibility of them taking part.
Back in March, Donyamali told Iranian state television: "Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup."
Iran will kick-off their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. If they and the US finish second in their respective groups, the sides will meet in the last 32.
US president Donald Trump has previously stated it would be "inappropriate" for Iran to compete "for their own life and safety".
Infantino added: "There are enough problems around the world. There are enough people who try to divide all over the world. If nobody tries to unite, what will happen to our world? We have to do it, and we have this opportunity."
Meanwhile, Palestinian football association president Jibril Rajoub refused to stand alongside Israel FA vice-president Basim Sheikh Suliman in a heated moment at the FIFA congress.
Both men were called to the stand by Infantino but Rajoub declined to be brought closer to Arab-Israeli Suliman.
Infantino put his hand on Rajoub's arm and invited him with a gesture to come closer to Suliman, but in vain.
Asked what Rajoub said when he refused, Palestinian FA vice-president Susan Shalabi, who was in the room, told Reuters: "I cannot shake the hand of someone the Israelis have brought to whitewash their fascism and genocide! We are suffering."
Israel has denied committing genocide in Gaza.
Infantino then took the stand and said: "We will work together, president Rajoub, vice-president Suliman. Let's work together to give hope to the children. These are complex matters."
Speaking to Reuters after the Congress ended, Shalabi said Infantino's attempt to have Suliman and Rajoub shake hands showed little consideration for the Palestinian FA chief's speech, in which he made yet another plea for Israeli clubs not to base teams in the West Bank settlements.
"To be put in a position where to have a handshake after everything that was said, this negates the whole purpose of the speech that the general (Rajoub) was giving," she said.
"He spent like 15 minutes trying to explain to everyone how the rules matter, how this could easily become a precedent where the rights of member associations are violated with impudence, and then we'll just wrap this under the carpet. It was absurd."
Last week, the PFA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA's decision not to sanction Israel over clubs based in West Bank settlements.
The PFA has long argued that clubs based in settlements in the West Bank - territory Palestinians seek as part of a future state - should not compete in leagues run by the Israel Football Association.
FIFA said last month it would take no action against the IFA or Israeli clubs, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law.
Associations will be invited to vote for FIFA's next president at the 2027 congress, and although Infantino did not confirm his candidacy in Vancouver. He set out some of the achievements of the organisation under his leadership over the last decade.
He referenced $2.7bn (£2bn) of development funding budgeted for the 2027 to 2030 cycle, an eightfold increase on the level prior to him taking office.
He also said revenue for the current cycle, 2022 to 2026, would be more than $14bn (£10.3bn), ahead of budget.
The majority of that revenue stems from this summer's World Cup finals. FIFA has faced stiff criticism for the pricing of World Cup tickets, and the decision to adopt a dynamic pricing strategy.
Infantino said: "You've heard there were many discussions about the ticketing of the World Cup.
"We had 500m ticket requests. In the last two World Cups together, we had 50m ticket requests. Here, 500m. We sold 100 per cent of the inventory that we put on the market, which is more or less 90 per cent of the global inventory so far. And of course, we are always putting tickets on the market.
"There are expensive tickets, yes, but there are also affordable tickets."
Infantino added that all revenue generated goes back into the game in distributions to member associations, and development of new and existing competitions.
"In a big majority of our countries, we could not have organised football the way we know it without the grants and the revenues and the FIFA Forward programme."
