Fifa president Gianni Infantino has reiterated that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, despite the Iranian Football Federation failing to attend the Fifa congress in Vancouver. Speaking at the congress, Infantino emphasised the unifying role of football, stating, 'We have to bring people together.'
Iran's participation had been cast into doubt following US and Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic in February, as well as immigration issues that prevented the Iranian federation's president, Mehdi Taj, from entering Canada for the congress. Taj, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was denied entry despite holding a temporary resident permit, which Canada's foreign affairs minister said had been revoked.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Iranian players would be welcome at the World Cup, but indicated that some federation officials with ties to the IRGC could face difficulties. Iran are due to face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G, with matches taking place in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Infantino also addressed concerns over ticket prices, revealing that 500 million requests had been received and 90 per cent of tickets had already been sold. He projected Fifa's revenues for the 2023-26 cycle to reach $14 billion (£10.3 billion), a 20 per cent increase on the previous cycle.
In his closing remarks, Infantino formally announced his intention to stand for re-election as Fifa president at next year's congress in Rabat, Morocco. He was first elected in 2016 as a reform candidate and is likely to remain in post for 15 years under current term-limit rules.
