Infantino confirms Iran will play World Cup in U.S. despite Canada entry row

Iranian soccer federation officials were denied entry into Canada this week ahead of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, leaving Iran as the sole absent nation among FIFA's 211 member associations at Thursday's gathering. FIFA president Gianni Infantino used his opening remarks to declare that Iran would still compete at the 2026 World Cup, with all its matches taking place in the United States as originally scheduled.

Denied at the Border

Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj, secretary general Hedayat Mombeini, and deputy Hamed Momeni arrived with visas at Toronto's Pearson Airport earlier this week but were turned away, according to Iran International, which first reported the story. Taj, who has longstanding ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, departed Canada late Tuesday evening.iranintl+1

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Wednesday that her "understanding" was that the officials' permission to enter had been revoked, calling it "unintentional". Immigration Minister Lena Diab's office offered a more pointed response: "The government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country". Canada designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity in June 2024.globalnews+2

A source told ESPN The Walt Disney Company ↘ 0.40% that two members of Iran's delegation were ultimately allowed into the country but chose not to attend after a third was turned away. FIFA asked Iran to send representatives regardless, but when roll call took place Thursday, Iran was marked as absent.espn

Infantino Insists Iran Will Play

Speaking at the Congress, Infantino was emphatic. "Of course, Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and of course Iran will play in the United States of America," he said, adding, "The reason for that is very simple, dear friends, is because we have to unite. We have to bring people together". He noted there were "no suspended member associations or any grounds for expulsion".bbc+1

Infantino had previously rejected Iran's request to move its group-stage matches to Mexico, and he has ruled out replacing Iran in the tournament. Iran is drawn into Group G and is set to open against New Zealand on June 15 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, before facing Egypt in Seattle and Belgium back in Inglewood.espn+1

Diplomatic Tensions Loom Over the Tournament

The incident underscores the complications of hosting a World Cup across three nations while one qualified team's government is in active conflict with the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has drawn a distinction between Iran's players and officials with IRGC ties, saying athletes would be allowed to compete but that individuals linked to the security apparatus would not be granted entry.iranintl

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that FIFA officials contacted the Iranian delegation to express regret over the incident and said Infantino would arrange a meeting with them at FIFA headquarters. With the World Cup set to kick off on June 11 and the final scheduled for July 19, the episode serves as an early test of how the tournament's three co-hosts will navigate the geopolitics surrounding Iran's participation.rte+1