Mehdi Taj, the president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, has insisted that Iran’s host for the 2026 World Cup is FIFA, not the United States or President Donald Trump, as tensions grow over the treatment of Iranian officials ahead of the tournament.
Taj made the remarks after he and members of the Iranian delegation turned back from the Canadian border before last week’s FIFA Congress in Vancouver, citing what they described as disrespectful treatment by immigration authorities.
Canadian officials later confirmed that Taj’s visa had been revoked while he was en route due to alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is designated as a terrorist organisation in Canada and the United States.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stated that individuals connected to the IRGC would not be allowed into the country. “We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is FIFA, not Mr Trump or America,” Taj said. “If they accept hosting us, then they must also accept that they must not insult our military institutions in any way,” he added.
Taj warned that Iran could reconsider participation arrangements if guarantees are not provided. “We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system, especially the IRGC,” he said. He argued that without assurances, “an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”
The IRGC was established to protect Iran’s Islamic system and has grown into one of the country’s most powerful military and political institutions. Despite the tensions, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has maintained that Iran will participate in the tournament as planned.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico between June 11 and July 19. Iran is scheduled to play all three of its group-stage matches in the United States, including games in Los Angeles against New Zealand and Belgium, and a final group match against Egypt in Seattle.