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ISTANBUL, May 16 : FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom held a constructive and positive meeting with Iran's FA (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj on Saturday, he told Reuters, expressing confidence about the country's participation at this year's World Cup.
May 16 : FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom will meet Iranian FA (FFIRI) officials in Istanbul on Saturday and offer "reassurance" over Iran's participation in the World Cup, a source familiar with the talks has told Reuters.
TEHRAN: Iran’s football federation chief on Thursday said no visas had yet been issued for the national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, state media reported. “Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees, because the visa issue has still not been resolved,” the state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying. “We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas.
May 14 : Iran hosted a World Cup departure rally attended by thousands of fans in Tehran's Enqelab Square on Wednesday night even if concerns remain about the team getting into the United States and competing at the tournament.
TEHRAN: Iran’s football federation said on Saturday that the men’s national team will take part in the 2026 World Cup this summer, but demanded that joint hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada agree to its conditions amid the Middle East war.The call comes after Canada refused entry to the federation’s chief last month before the FIFA Congress because of his links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran’s military, which it designated as a terror group in 2024.Iran’s presence at the tournament, which will take place between June 11 and July 19, has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel.“We will definitely participate in the 2026 World Cup, but the hosts must take our concerns into account,” the Iranian federation said on its official website.“We will participate in the World Cup tournament, but without any retreat from our beliefs, culture, and convictions.”The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj told state TV on Friday that Tehran has 10 conditions for attending the global spectacle, seeking assurances over the country’s treatment.The conditions include visas being granted and respect for the national team staff, the team’s flag and its national anthem during the tournament, as well as demands for high security at airports, hotels and routes to the stadiums where they will play.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that Iran’s footballers would be welcome at the tournament.But he warned that the US may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation with ties to the IRGC, which it also designates as a terrorist organization.“All players and technical
Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday he will have a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the next three or four days at which he would seek assurances that his country will be respected at the World Cup in the United States.Canada, which is co-hosting the June 11 to July 19 World Cup with the US and Mexico, said it refused entry to Taj last week because of his links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).Taj said on Tuesday that Iran would not take part in the tournament if FIFA could not guarantee respect for the country’s institutions in the US, where the team will be based and play all three of their group matches.“We will tell (FIFA) what our expectations are.
May 6 : Iranian FA (FFIRI) chief Mehdi Taj says FIFA must guarantee that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is not insulted by the United States if the national team is to travel to the country to play at the World Cup in June.
PARIS: FIFA has invited the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) to its headquarters for talks over the country’s participation at this year’s World Cup, a source told AFP on Tuesday. Iran’s presence at the tournament, held in the United States, Canada and Mexico between June 11 and July 19, has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel. The source said FIFA had asked the FFIRI to visit its Zurich base “by May 20 to prepare for the World Cup.” Last week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino reiterated Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled. “Let me start by the outset, confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Infantino said as he addressed delegates at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. “And of course, Iran will play (in) the United States of America.” Iran’s delegation was the only absentee from the 211-member congress after a clash with Canadian border officials. Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj — a former member of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — and two colleagues flew home after being “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers. Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said individuals linked to the force were “inadmissible.” On his return home, Taj told local media he wanted a meeting with FIFA to discuss a variety of subjects. Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G. The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.