Politics and human rights will take center stage at the 76th FIFA General Assembly, which will be held in Canada just weeks before the North American nation co-hosts the World Cup with the United States and Mexico, bringing together major figures from the world of soccer.
Unresolved issues regarding the Iran war, logistics issues surrounding the World Cup and Russia’s international ban will be addressed during discussions by around 1,600 representatives from more than 200 member associations.
This meeting will be overshadowed by the US and Israel’s war against Iran and the team’s participation in the World Cup.
The conference, which is scheduled to bring together representatives from FIFA’s 211 member associations, will be held without an Iranian delegation after members of the Iranian Football Federation left Canada earlier this week, citing abuses by immigration authorities.
Here’s what we know so far about the FIFA Congress.
What is the agenda for this FIFA Congress?
The annual FIFA conference brings together representatives from all 211 member associations to make important decisions regarding the governance, finances and regulation of world football.
Parliament on Thursday will focus on operational and financial issues related to the 48-team World Cup, the largest tournament in history.
Why did the Iranian delegation return from Canada?
Despite having valid visas, Iranian soccer officials were turned away upon arrival at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, citing “unacceptable behavior by immigration officials.”
The Iranian Football Federation said in a statement that “due to the unacceptable behavior of immigration officials at the airport and the insult to one of the most honorable institutions of the Iranian Armed Forces,” the delegation was en route to Vancouver, where they obtained official visas and traveled to Toronto, taking the first available flight back to Turkiye.
In 2024, Canada designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, and a Canadian government statement indicated that the group’s president, Mehdi Taj, was refused entry into the country due to his alleged ties to the group.
“While we are unable to comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, our government has been clear and consistent: Revolutionary Guards personnel cannot enter Canada and have no place in our country,” the Canadian government said in a statement.
Amnesty International calls for human rights protection at World Cup
Human rights group Amnesty International has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to use the tournament as an opportunity to declare how human rights will be protected at the World Cup.
Amnesty International called on Infantino to explain in detail “how he will ensure that the world’s biggest sporting event does not become a stage for repression or authoritarian practices.”
“With just six weeks until the start of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has yet to publicly explain how fans, journalists and communities will be protected from arbitrary detention, mass deportations and suppression of freedom of expression. This FIFA Congress should be the moment for him to do so, and world football deserves more than empty platitudes,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice.
Last week, Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), along with more than 120 civil society organizations, issued a “travel advisory” for foreign nationals attending the World Cup in the United States, citing “the deteriorating human rights situation in the United States and the lack of meaningful action or concrete assurances from FIFA, the host city, and the United States government.”
Fans are using Vancouver’s legislature to draw attention to the #SaveTheCaps campaign, which opposes the potential relocation of the Vancouver Whitecaps Major League Soccer team to Las Vegas after it goes up for sale in 2024.
The Vancouver Southsiders, which describes itself as the Whitecaps’ “largest support group,” called for an early morning public demonstration to draw attention to the cause ahead of Thursday’s parliamentary session, with “media from around the world in attendance.”
BC Place, the Whitecaps’ home stadium, will host seven World Cup games.
“We have had serious discussions with over 100 interested parties, but at this time no viable proposals have emerged to keep the club here,” the club said in a statement on Monday.
“Clubs face well-documented structural challenges, including stadium economics, venue access, and revenue constraints, which make it difficult to attract buyers keen to keep the team in Vancouver.”
Franchise fees that cost tens of millions of dollars to enter MLS 15 years ago are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In May 2023, a $500 million expansion fee was paid to secure the league’s 30th team in San Diego.
The team, featuring German great Thomas Muller, reached the MLS Cup final last year but lost 3-1 to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
