Iran, World Cup loom over FIFA Congress
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is juggling multiple issues ahead of the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, the last major gathering of football's global governing body before the World Cup (Kent NISHIMURA) Football's power brokers meet in Vancouver on Thursday as FIFA convenes its 76th Congress, a high‑stakes gathering less than two months before the biggest World Cup ever opens across Canada, Mexico and the United States. The Iran war, World Cup logistical headaches and the unresolved question of Russia's international ban are set to feature in discussions among roughly 1,600 delegates from more than 200 member associations. Iran's absence is already threatening to overshadow the meeting.
Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto earlier this week, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver. Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj -- a former member of Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) -- and two colleagues flew home after being "insulted" by Canadian immigration officers. Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were "inadmissible.
" "While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country," Canada's immigration agency said in a statement. The episode adds fresh uncertainty to Iran's World Cup status, already clouded since the Middle East war erupted on February 28 with a wave of attacks by the United States and Israel. Iranian football officials said last month they had suggested moving their three World Cup group games from the United States to co-hosts Mexico -- a plan which was swiftly nixed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino told AFP that Iran will play at the World Cup "where they are supposed to be, according to the draw. " US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted last week that Iran's footballers would be welcome to compete at the tournament. But Rubio warned that the United States may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation with ties to the IRGC.
- Infantino under scrutiny - The FIFA boss heads into Thursday's meeting facing scrutiny following criticism over skyrocketing World Cup ticket prices and his close friendship with US President Donald Trump. FIFA on Tuesday announced it had boosted World Cup financial distributions to nearly $900 million, up from the initial $727 million announced in December. The move came after several World Cup-qualified teams reportedly warned that they risked losing money from competing at the sprawling tournament, citing the high cost of travel, taxes and overall operations.