Iran Issues Demands to Ensure World Cup Participation

It seems Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup still isn’t quite guaranteed.

Irian’s Football Association leader, Mehdi Taj, has issued a few demands that FIFA must meet if its national team is going to play in the US next month. While most were fairly basic and are expected to be easily met, one demand was to grant visas to the entire team, staff, and officials.

With peace talks between Iran and the US continuing to fail, the demands raise fresh concerns about the tournament’s kickoff next month.

IRGC Visas Could Derail Plan 

At the heart of the issue is Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which supports the government. The group has gained a reputation for its brutal tactics in controlling Iran’s population under clerical rule. That includes last summer, when the group was violently cracking down on student protestors before the US’s first round of bombings.

The IRGC’s actions have led World Cup hosts Canada and the US to designate it as a terrorist organization. This prevents people linked to the group from obtaining visas, but identifying them can be a problem. Two weeks ago, this resulted in a group from Iran’s national team being turned away by Canadian officials, who accused some members of having ties to the IRGC.

A Dark Reason May Be Driving the Request

Earlier this year, Iran’s women’s team saw many players protest their government during a tournament in Australia. They defected after the matches were complete, delivering a massive embarrassment for the Iranian Government, which was already facing growing unrest at home. While war with the US has helped distract from that, it has given Iranian officials cause for concern that the men could take similar action this summer.

Iran won’t admit it, but there is certainly a fear of what would happen should the men choose to follow the women’s lead this summer. By sending members of the IRGC, the country would have a way to keep its players in line. Given the group's experience targeting citizens abroad, their presence would make any form of protest even more dangerous.

This reason could lead Iran to skip the tournament if it feels it can’t properly police its men’s team while in the US next month.

Another FIFA Misstep?

Last year, FIFA President Gianni Infantino decided to award US President Trump with a new FIFA Peace Prize. The increasingly embracing move was meant to show that the league and the tournament’s lead host were in sync ahead of the largest World Cup yet. Instead, it led many fans to feel alienated from the league, and even some calls for major European teams to boycott.

FIFA never really recovered from that misstep, but it appears they may have made an even bigger one with Iran. 

The league’s refusal to enact a plan to replace Iran means it needs the country to show up next month. If Iran decides to back out, it could leave 47 teams and an uneven group stage. There is no quick fix for that, and it would be a massive black mark for the world’s largest sporting event. 

That means FIFA must give in, or risk the historic tournament falling apart before it even kicks off.