Iran's soccer federation said on Saturday the country "definitely" will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and insisted that tournament hosts — the United States, Canada and Mexico — consider Tehran's concerns around the team's travel and treatment.
"All players and technical staff, especially those who served their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, should be granted visas without problems," Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran president Mehdi Taj said, according to Iranian media.
The team represents a country in a fragile ceasefire with the United States after the U.S. and Israel sparked a war with attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, and whose citizens are subject to a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration. The remarks came after Canadian authorities last month denied entry to Taj ahead of a FIFA Congress, reportedly because of his past ties to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, which both the U.S. and Canada have designated as a terrorist organization.
Taj has repeatedly said that Iran would seek assurances from FIFA that Iranian officials, players, national flag and anthem would be treated with respect during the World Cup. Iran had presented conditions tied to participation — including guarantees over visas, security and treatment of Iranian players and officials — and added that the Islamic Republic would take part "without retreating from our beliefs, culture and convictions".
The matter potentially could affect one of Iran's key players, Mehdi Taremi, team captain and a striker who completed his mandatory military service in the Guard. In Iran, conscripts can be assigned to the police or the army, often at random.
