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Gianni Infantino wasted no time when he began his president’s address at the FIFA Congress on Thursday, confirming that Iran will be playing at the World Cup.
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“Let me start at the outset, I should say confirming straight away … Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026,” he said. “And the reason for that is very simple, dear friends, is because we have to unite. We have to bring people together. It is my responsibility. This our responsibility. Football unites the world. FIFA unites the world. You unite the world. We unite the world. And we have to remember always that we have to be positive.”
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Infantino, speaking at the Congress in Vancouver, said: “We have to be smiling, we have to be happy. There are enough problems around the world. There are enough people who try to divide all over the world. If nobody tries to unite, what will happen to our world? We have to do it, and we have this opportunity. We have it at the FIFA Congress. We have it with the FIFA series. We have it, of course, with the FIFA World Cup. We have it with the power and the magic of all of you united, because together, we are unbeatable.”
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Iran was the only member nation not at the Vancouver Convention Centre for the Congress. Its delegation was turned back by immigration services in Toronto earlier this week. Despite reportedly having valid entry visas, Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, was denied entry because of his history with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Canada has classified as a terrorist organization.
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The continuing military conflict between Iran, the U.S. and Israel had put the soccer team’s participation in doubt, with speculation Iran would boycott the tournament because their games were in Seattle and Los Angeles.
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