Iranian football federation officials have been denied access into Canada, just a few weeks to the 2026 world cup co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
The Iranian officials were en route to Vancouver for Thursday’s FIFA Congress, but were denied entry to be part of a representatives of 211 member associations ahead of the 2026 FIFA event.
In a statement by Tehran’s Tasnim News Agency, the federation said the delegation, which included its president and former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mehdi Taj, were turned back at Toronto Pearson Airport after being subject to what it described as “the unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials”
The federation said their treatment was an “insult to one of the most honourable organs of the Iranian nation’s armed forces”, and the delegation “returned to Turkey on the first available flight”.
Iran is scheduled to begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on 16 June (UK time) in Inglewood, California, before matches against Belgium at the same venue, and Egypt in Seattle.
However, the development raises doubts of its participation in the upcoming world cup due to begins on 11 June.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the World Cup but added that the players would not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to the IRGC.
“It undermines Canada’s designation of the IRGC as a terrorist entity and contradicts our country’s commitment to combatting impunity for serious human rights abuses in Iran.”
The US had listed IRGC as terrorist organization, in 2024, Canada followed suit, and effectively rendering members of IRGC inadmissible into the country.
