Mehdi Mohammed Nabi
FFIRI secretary general; led Iran's delegation at Antalya talks with Infantino in April 2026.
Last refreshed: 15 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
As FFIRI's operational chief, what is Nabi's next step after FIFA's Antalya rejection?
Timeline for Mehdi Mohammed Nabi
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Background
Mehdi Mohammed Nabi travelled to Antalya, Turkey on 31 March and 1 April 2026 as part of Iran's three-person delegation for direct talks with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Infantino told the delegation that 'Iran will be at the World Cup' and offered a pre-tournament training camp in Turkey as a concession rather than match relocation. Nabi, as FFIRI secretary general, is the federation's operational lead in the ongoing negotiations with FIFA.
Mehdi Mohammed Nabi serves as secretary general of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), the administrative counterpart to FFIRI president Omid Jamali. The secretary general runs day-to-day federation operations, manages FIFA correspondence, and coordinates international travel and logistics for the national squad.
Nabi's presence in Antalya alongside Jamali and head coach Amir Ghalenoei signals that Iran's response to FIFA's final rejection of match relocation is being managed at the highest federation level. Iran has received no formal written FIFA response to its original relocation request, leaving FFIRI's next move — whether to accept Infantino's World Cup assurance or escalate — as the key decision for Nabi and Jamali.
