World Cup
Iranian FA says will meet FIFA to seek World Cup assurances in next few days
Iranian soccer 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 will 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 U.S. 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 U.S., where the team will be based and play all three of their group matches.
“We will tell (FIFA) what our expectations are. If they can address them, we will definitely participate,” the FFIRI president told state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran on Wednesday.
“But if there is no guarantee that they will be addressed, then no one has the right to insult us or the pillars of our system.
“And if they continue on the path of disrespect, and even ask our players those kinds of questions, we may make a different decision.”
Both the U.S. and Canada classify the IRGC as a “terrorist entity” and have made it clear they will not admit people with links to the elite military force.
Taj, who served as a high-ranking official with the IRGC before moving into soccer administration, received the backing of Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei for his stance on Wednesday.
“Look, our national football team is not ‘travelling’ to the United States, we are going there to take part in the FIFA World Cup,” Baghaei told reporters in Tehran.
“Therefore, it is FIFA’s responsibility to provide all the necessary facilities and conditions.
“Host governments also have a very clear obligation under FIFA regulations to provide the necessary arrangements and issue the required visas without taking political considerations or motives into account.
“We hope that FIFA, if only for the sake of preserving its own credibility, will certainly take the necessary measures.”
Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been in question since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, triggering the war in the region.
Taj also said a wider 30-man squad for the tournament would be selected this week before being cut to the final 26 players after a training camp in Turkey.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei told state media that the squad planned to arrive in the U.S. 14 days before the start of the tournament after the two-week camp.
Ghalenoei said he would like the squad to have two or three warm-up matches, but attempts to set up friendly internationals had proved tricky with teams pulling out at the last minute.
The squad will therefore remain in Tehran for another week before heading to Turkey, where Iran played friendlies against Costa Rica and Nigeria in late March, on May 16.
Team Melli are scheduled to get their campaign underway against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. The team’s U.S. base will be at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
-Reuters
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Liga MX players who fail to attend Mexico’s World Cup training camp starting on Wednesday will be dropped from the tournament squad, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said, essentially cancelling an exemption granted to players from Toluca.
Clubs had initially agreed with FMF that they would release all called-up players from May 6.
FMF later granted special permission to Toluca players to remain with their club for Wednesday’s second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final against Los Angeles FC, in which they trail 2-1 on aggregate.
That exemption drew criticism from Amaury Vergara, owner of Guadalajara, which fields only Mexican players. Vergara later urged his club’s five selected players to return for the Liga MX Clausura quarter-finals, with the team seeking to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Tigres UANL in Saturday’s second leg.
“All players must report to the High Performance Centre in Mexico City,” the FMF said in a statement on Wednesday. “On the coaching staff’s instructions, any player who fails to attend the training camp today will be excluded from the World Cup.”
The dispute highlighted growing tension between clubs and the national team over player availability ahead of the World Cup, with domestic and continental fixtures clashing with preparations for the tournament.
Toluca, the reigning Liga MX champions, had requested permission since the start of the season to keep players available. After the FMF statement, Toluca said they would release Jesus Gallardo and Alexis Vega to join the national team.
“Toluca acted at all times in compliance with FMF regulations,” the club said in a statement. “A specific authorization was requested in advance … and validation was granted by Liga MX and the FMF.
“The club will release their players and do without them for tonight’s crucial match in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semi-final.”
Mexico, co-hosts of the World Cup alongside the U.S. and Canada, will complete their preparations with friendlies against Ghana on May 22, Australia on May 30 and Serbia on June 4, before opening the tournament against South Africa in Group A on June 11.
-Reuters
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The president of the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI), Mehdi Taj, has demanded guarantees from FIFA that the United States will not “insult” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) when Iran travels to the 2026 FIFA World Cup next month.
Taj’s comments came after an Iranian football delegation, including senior FFIRI officials, abandoned a trip to Canada last week following what they described as disrespectful treatment by immigration officials while attempting to attend the FIFA Congress in Vancouver.
Although Taj initially claimed the delegation voluntarily returned home, Canada’s immigration minister later confirmed that Taj’s visa had been revoked mid-flight because of his alleged links to the IRGC, which Canada designated a terrorist organisation in 2024. The United States had taken a similar step five years earlier.
The IRGC is an elite military force tasked with safeguarding Iran’s Islamic system of government.
FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom subsequently wrote to the Iranian federation expressing regret over the incident and invited FFIRI officials to Zurich on May 20 for discussions on Iran’s World Cup preparations.
Speaking to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB during a pro-government rally in Tehran, Taj said FIFA must provide clear assurances before Iran’s delegation travels to the United States for the tournament.
“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,” Taj said.
“This is something they must pay serious attention to. If there is such a guarantee and the responsibility is clearly assumed, then an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled from June 11 to July 19, will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Iran are due to play two group-stage matches in Los Angeles and another in Seattle.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had no objection to Iranian players participating in the tournament but stressed that individuals with ties to the IRGC would not be admitted into the country.
Taj, who previously served as a senior IRGC official in Iran’s Isfahan Province before entering football administration, warned that Iran’s delegation could refuse entry into the United States if adequate assurances are not provided.
“We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is FIFA — not Mr Trump or America,” he said.
“If they accept hosting us, then they must also accept that they must not insult our military institutions in any way.”
Iran’s World Cup participation has faced additional uncertainty following recent military tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Despite the political backdrop, Iran’s domestic league players are currently in a training camp in Tehran, preparing for the tournament after the suspension of the country’s top-flight league.
Taj added that the FFIRI hopes to arrange at least one high-profile friendly match in neighbouring Turkey as part of preparations for the World Cup.
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Morocco has taken a major step in its build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup by officially establishing its training base in the United States, with New Jersey confirmed as the home of the Atlas Lions during the tournament.
The announcement, made in Basking Ridge, saw New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill alongside Morocco’s Ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, unveil The Pingry School as Morocco’s permanent base camp.
The choice of Pingry is a strategic move by the North African side to secure top-level preparation conditions ahead of the expanded global tournament.
The facility, which previously served as a training site during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, has been extensively upgraded, with renovations completed in 2025. It now boasts two international-standard grass pitches and a modern athletics centre tailored to elite performance.
Morocco’s decision comes as the team gears up for a high-profile opening fixture against Brazil on June 13 at MetLife Stadium. This is one of the key venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Beyond logistics, the selection carries cultural and symbolic weight. Governor Sherrill highlighted New Jersey’s sizeable Moroccan community, estimated at nearly 10,000 residents, as a crucial factor, describing the state as a “home away from home” for the Atlas Lions.
Historically, the Kingdom of Morocco was the first country to recognise the United States after the American continent-sized nation’s independence 250 years ago.
Morocco’s Camp Base at The Pingry School in New Jersey
In the lead-up to the decision of picking the Moroccan camp base, Ambassador Amrani undertook a detailed inspection of facilities and held high-level consultations with officials from New York City’s Mayor’s Office.
Discussions focused on coordinating security arrangements, managing media operations, and ensuring smooth hospitality services for the Moroccan delegation during the tournament.
Amrani praised the collaboration between Moroccan and U.S. authorities, noting football’s unique ability to strengthen international ties and cultural exchange.
With several other nations also eyeing New Jersey as a base, Morocco’s early move underscores its intent to gain a competitive edge by combining world-class infrastructure with strong diaspora support as it prepares for another global campaign.
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