Politics and human rights will take centre stage when leading figures of the football world meet for FIFA’s 76th Congress in Canada, weeks before the North American nation cohosts the World Cup with the United States and Mexico.
The Iran war, logistical issues surrounding the World Cup and the unresolved question of Russia’s international ban are set to feature in discussions among roughly 1,600 delegates from more than 200 member associations.
The meeting will be overshadowed by the US-Israeli war on Iran and its team’s participation in the World Cup.
The congress, which is set to bring together representatives of all 211 FIFA member associations, will be held without the Iranian delegation after members of its football federation departed from Canada earlier this week, citing mistreatment by immigration officials.
Here’s what we know about the FIFA Congress so far:
What’s on the FIFA Congress agenda this time?
The annual FIFA Congress brings together representatives of all 211 member associations to make key decisions regarding world football governance, finances and regulations.
Thursday’s congress will focus on operational and financial issues related to the 48-team World Cup – the largest ever tournament.
Why did the Iranian delegation return from Canada?
Iranian football officials turned back upon arrival at Toronto’s Pearson airport despite holding valid visas, citing what was described as the “unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials”.
The delegation was en route to Vancouver and had travelled to Toronto with official visas when they returned to Turkiye on the first available flight “due to the unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials at the airport and the insult to one of the most honourable organs of the Iranian nation’s armed forces,” the Iranian football federation said in a statement.
In 2024, Canada listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, and statements from the Canadian government indicated that federation President Mehdi Taj was denied entry due to his alleged ties with the IRGC.
“While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country,” the Canadian government said in a statement.
Amnesty urges protection of human rights at World Cup
Human rights group Amnesty International has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to use the congress as an opportunity to declare how human rights will be safeguarded at the World Cup.
Amnesty urged Infantino to detail “how he will ensure that the world’s biggest sporting tournament does not become a stage for repression and a platform for authoritarian practices”.
“With just six weeks until the 2026 World Cup kicks off, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has yet to publicly outline how fans, journalists and local communities will be safe from arbitrary detention, mass deportations and crackdowns on free expression. This FIFA Congress should be the moment he does so, and the global football community must receive more than empty platitudes,” Steve Cockburn, head of economic and social justice at Amnesty International, said.
Last week, Amnesty and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), along with more than 120 civil society groups, issued a “travel advisory” for foreigners attending the World Cup in the US due to the “deteriorating human rights situation in the US and the absence of meaningful action and concrete guarantees from FIFA, host cities, or the US government”.
Fans are using the congress in Vancouver to bring attention to the #SaveTheCaps campaign against the potential relocation of the Major League Soccer team Vancouver Whitecaps to Las Vegas after the team was put up for sale in 2024.
Vancouver Southsiders, the self-proclaimed “largest support group” of the Whitecaps, has called for an early morning public demonstration ahead of Thursday’s congress to bring attention to the cause since “the world’s media will be there”.
The Whitecaps’ home stadium, BC Place, will host seven World Cup matches.
In a statement on Monday, the club said it had “serious conversations with more than 100 parties, and to date, no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here”.
“The club has faced well-documented structural challenges around stadium economics, venue access, and revenue limitations that have made it difficult to attract buyers committed to keeping the team in Vancouver.”
A franchise fee that cost tens of millions of dollars to enter MLS 15 years ago is now worth hundreds of millions. In May 2023, a $500m expansion fee was paid to secure the league’s 30th team in San Diego.
A team that features German great Thomas Muller reached the MLS Cup final last year, losing against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 3-1.