Overview
- Iran will take part in the 2026 World Cup and play its three group games in the United States, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said as he opened the Vancouver Congress.
- The Iranian federation skipped the Congress after what it called offensive treatment by Canadian immigration officers, following Wednesday's airport stop in Toronto that sent its leaders back to Turkey.
- Canada lists Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity, which makes linked people inadmissible, and federation chief Mehdi Taj is reported as a former member who was also denied a U.S. visa in December.
- Infantino’s stance cools talk of replacing Iran and puts the focus on how visas and security will work for officials and staff who travel with the team.
- Iran is slated to face New Zealand on June 15th, Belgium on June 21st, and Egypt on June 26th in Inglewood and Seattle, with FIFA now working through the logistics across the three co-hosts.