Iran Keeps World Cup Participation Conditional Pending FIFA Assurances

The president of the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI), Mehdi Taj, has demanded guarantees from FIFA that the United States will not “insult” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) when Iran travels to the 2026 FIFA World Cup next month.

Taj’s comments came after an Iranian football delegation, including senior FFIRI officials, abandoned a trip to Canada last week following what they described as disrespectful treatment by immigration officials while attempting to attend the FIFA Congress in Vancouver.

Although Taj initially claimed the delegation voluntarily returned home, Canada’s immigration minister later confirmed that Taj’s visa had been revoked mid-flight because of his alleged links to the IRGC, which Canada designated a terrorist organisation in 2024. The United States had taken a similar step five years earlier.

The IRGC is an elite military force tasked with safeguarding Iran’s Islamic system of government.

FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom subsequently wrote to the Iranian federation expressing regret over the incident and invited FFIRI officials to Zurich on May 20 for discussions on Iran’s World Cup preparations.

Speaking to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB during a pro-government rally in Tehran, Taj said FIFA must provide clear assurances before Iran’s delegation travels to the United States for the tournament.

“We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system — especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Taj said.

“This is something they must pay serious attention to. If there is such a guarantee and the responsibility is clearly assumed, then an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled from June 11 to July 19, will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Iran are due to play two group-stage matches in Los Angeles and another in Seattle.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had no objection to Iranian players participating in the tournament but stressed that individuals with ties to the IRGC would not be admitted into the country.

Taj, who previously served as a senior IRGC official in Iran’s Isfahan Province before entering football administration, warned that Iran’s delegation could refuse entry into the United States if adequate assurances are not provided.

“We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is FIFA — not Mr Trump or America,” he said.

“If they accept hosting us, then they must also accept that they must not insult our military institutions in any way.”

Iran’s World Cup participation has faced additional uncertainty following recent military tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Despite the political backdrop, Iran’s domestic league players are currently in a training camp in Tehran, preparing for the tournament after the suspension of the country’s top-flight league.

Taj added that the FFIRI hopes to arrange at least one high-profile friendly match in neighbouring Turkey as part of preparations for the World Cup.

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