Overview
- At a FIFA congress in Vancouver, President Gianni Infantino said Iran will take part in the 2026 tournament and will play its group games in the United States.
- Iran’s delegation was the lone absence from the 211 members at the meeting after Canadian officials refused entry at Toronto airport to at least one delegate, including federation chief Mehdi Taj.
- The United States plans to admit Iranian players for the World Cup but may deny entry to people linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Washington lists as a terrorist group.
- FIFA rejected reported proposals to replace Iran with Italy and to move Iran’s group matches from U.S. venues to Mexico.
- Canada designates the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, and the prime minister said its members are barred from entering the country.