The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, has insisted that football’s governing body, not the United States, is the true authority behind the 2026 World Cup, amid growing political tensions over Iran’s participation.
As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, Taj made the remarks while addressing concerns over travel restrictions, diplomatic friction, and the treatment of Iranian officials ahead of the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“Our host is FIFA, not Mr Trump or America,” Taj said, stressing that Iran qualified for the tournament and expects to compete under FIFA’s supervision.
The comments come after Iranian football officials were blocked from attending a FIFA Congress in Canada, with authorities citing concerns linked to alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is designated as a terrorist organisation in several countries.
Taj, who has previously acknowledged serving in the IRGC, said Iran is demanding guarantees that its delegation and symbols of state institutions will not be disrespected during the tournament.
“If they guarantee not to insult our military institutions and the IRGC, we’ll go,” he said, referring to arrangements for the World Cup travel.
FIFA has already expressed regret over the visa incident involving Iranian officials and has invited the Iranian federation to talks in Zurich as part of ongoing preparations.
