Iranian football federation representatives were turned back by Canadian authorities ahead of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver this week, raising questions about their World Cup participation.
9:15 AM
Iranian soccer officials were denied entry into Canada by Canadian authorities en route to this week's FIFA Congress in Vancouver, according to Canada's foreign minister and multiple reports. The Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj was among those turned back.
The denial marks at least the second instance in which Iranian representatives have been blocked from entering North America ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The incident raises further questions about the extent of Iran's participation in the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and begins June 11.
Representatives from Iran's football federation were absent from the AFC Congress, the largest formal meeting of Asia's football leaders held before the World Cup. The meeting took place in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. No discussion occurred at the Asian Football Confederation Congress regarding Iran's participation in the tournament or whether the team's games should be moved out of the United States due to the US-Israeli conflict involving Iran.
Concerns had been raised that visa issues could affect the Iranian delegation's ability to travel to both the AFC Congress in Vancouver and the overall FIFA Congress scheduled for Thursday, as well as their participation in the World Cup itself. The 48-team tournament is being hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico.
Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation Mehdi Mohammad Nabi had met with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino in Turkey last month, but was not present at the AFC Congress in Canada.
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