VANCOUVER — FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup and play its matches in the United States. Iran has qualified for the tournament.

Iran requested alternative venues for matches on U.S. soil. FIFA rejected the request and said the match schedule would remain unchanged.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the World Cup but that they would not be allowed to bring people with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Rubio's comments came as questions arose over the participation of Iranian football officials at the Congress itself.

Federation President Mehdi Taj and other Iranian football federation officials were scheduled to attend the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. The officials were turned back at the Toronto airport while travelling with valid visas, and Tehran described the behaviour of Canadian immigration authorities as unacceptable. Two members of the Iranian delegation chose not to attend the Congress after a delegation member was denied entry into Canada, a source with direct knowledge said.

Taj is a former member of Iran's IRGC. Canadian officials said Canada designates the IRGC as a terrorist organisation and that individuals linked to the group are inadmissible to the country. The officials said entry decisions for the FIFA Congress were made on a case-by-case basis.

About 30 protesters draped in Iranian flags and holding signs gathered outside the convention centre to call for regime change in Iran. "No deal with terrorists," they chanted.