VANCOUVER — Soccer authorities from around the globe have gathered in Vancouver, weeks before the FIFA World Cup kicks off across Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Representatives from each of the 211 soccer federations that make up soccer’s governing body are expected to attend the 76th FIFA Congress at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Thursday.
Whether officials from Iran will attend remains unclear after the president of the nation’s soccer federation was removed from Canada.
Iranian state media reported Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj and two other officials were denied entry, while the online outlet Iran International said Taj was granted a visa Monday but removed from Canada late Tuesday over alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a listed terrorist entity in Canada.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Wednesday it is her “understanding” their permission to enter the country was revoked.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation.
Members of the Palestinian Football Association also expressed concerns in recent weeks that visa issues would prevent them from attending. Some of the nation’s officials made it in time for Tuesday’s Asian Football Confederation Congress.
The agenda for the congress includes discussion of budgets, an auditor’s report and remarks from the organization’s president, Gianni Infantino.
Security around Infantino’s visit has drawn attention after FIFA’s request for a police motorcade into the city was denied.
“Formal motorcades where traffic is stopped are reserved for heads of state,” Vancouver Police Department spokesman Const. Darren Wong said in a statement.
“As the FIFA executive do not meet Internationally Protected Person (IPP) standards that would warrant such an escort (closing roads, intersections, not adhering to traffic devices, etc.), the request was declined.”
The agenda for Thursday’s congress includes an update on the global stand against racism and other governance matters, though FIFA says no decision will be made on hosts for the 2031 and ’35 Women’s World Cups.
The FIFA Council met in Vancouver on Tuesday and voted to increase the amount of money each World Cup team will receive this summer.
Each federation will now receive a preparation payment of US$2.5 million, up from $1.5 million, and $10 million for qualifying, up from $9 million.
The council also voted to adjust the rule for yellow cards at this summer’s World Cup, resetting a player’s disciplinary record after both the group stage and the quarterfinals.
The meetings come during a turbulent time for Vancouver soccer fans as rumours continue to swirl about the future of the city’s Major League Soccer team.
A league spokesman said Monday that it “will evaluate all options” when it comes to the future of the Whitecaps — including keeping the team in the city and moving it to another market.
Dan Courtemanche said the preference is to find a solution that keeps the Whitecaps in Vancouver, but “stadium economics, scheduling restrictions, and a lack of government and corporate support have created ongoing structural challenges that make it difficult to establish a viable path forward for the club.”
Vancouver’s current ownership group — including Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and former NBA star Steve Nash — announced the team was up for sale in December 2024 and repeatedly said the priority was keeping the Whitecaps in Vancouver. The asking price was not publicly released.
Finding a buyer who wants to keep the team in the city hasn’t been easy, the Whitecaps said in a statement on Monday.
“Over the past 16 months, we have had serious conversations with more than 100 parties, and to date, no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here,” the club wrote.
“It remains the strong preference of this ownership group to find a solution in Vancouver. If there is a local ownership group with the vision and resources to chart a path forward, we urge them to come forward.”
The FIFA Congress is being held six weeks before the World Cup begins in Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Vancouver and Toronto are among the 16 cities across North America that will host a combined 104 games during the expanded 48-team tournament, running June 11 through July 19.
Vancouver will stage five group-stage games, a round-of-32 match and a round-of-16 match. Toronto will host six games, including Canada’s first game of the tournament, a battle against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12.
The team will then move to Vancouver, where Canada will take on Qatar on June 18 before wrapping group play against Switzerland on June 24.
With files from David Baxter in Ottawa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
