Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI), has called on FIFA, the international regulatory body, to ensure that the nation’s delegation is treated with respect and has secure access.
Mehdi Taj made the request in the midst of escalating diplomatic tensions and uncertainties about Iranian officials’ visas for the competition, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Iran has already qualified, but the way officials connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are treated continues to raise concerns.
Taj told state television IRIB, “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.”
They need to take this very seriously. An occurrence similar to what occurred in Canada won’t occur again if there is such a guarantee and accountability is explicitly taken.
Taj brought up an incident that happened earlier this month when an FFIRI group was denied entry to Toronto’s main airport because of how Canadian customs handled them. As a result, they were unable to attend a FIFA pre-World Cup event in Vancouver.
Taj and the other group members had legitimate visas when they arrived at Pearson airport, but they were returned due to what was described as the “unacceptable behavior of immigration officials.”
Following the incident, the FFIRI released a statement saying, “They [delegation] returned to Turkiye on the first available flight due to the unacceptable behavior of immigration officials at the airport and the insult to one of the most honourable organs of the Iranian nation’s armed forces.”
According to Naija News, since the United States and Israel conducted airstrikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, escalating political tensions surrounding the competition, Iran’s participation in the World Cup has come under increased scrutiny.
