FIFA: Iran’s World Cup status unchanged in absence of Congress

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated Thursday that Iran will participate. World Cup and will play its original scheduled matches in the United States.

“Of course, Iran will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and of course Iran will play in the United States,” he said in his opening speech at the FIFA Congress on Thursday. “The reason for this is very simple, dear friends, because we must unite. People must unite. It is my responsibility.”

The update follows Wednesday’s news that Iran’s delegation to Congress was denied entry to Canada, although Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the denial was “unintentional.”

On Thursday, a source told ESPN that two delegates from Iran were allowed into the country but decided not to attend after another member was turned away by Canadian immigration.

The source added that FIFA asked Iran to attend the congress despite the migration issue, but when the roll call for delegates took place on Thursday, the Iranian delegation was noted as “absent”.

Nevertheless, Infantino supported Iran’s participation and later noted that “there is no basis for any suspended membership association or expulsion.”

On Tuesday, there was no discussion at the Asian Football Confederation congress, attended by Infantino, on whether Iran would participate in the World Cup or play matches outside the United States, due to the ongoing war between the two countries.

Infantino has previously ruled out the possibility of Iran playing in Mexico or Canada, or any other country playing instead of Iran at the World Cup.

Iran open World Cup Group G against New Zealand on June 15 at Sophie Stadium in Inglewood, California, before playing matches against Egypt in Seattle and Belgium in Inglewood.