Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj has been refused entry to Canada ahead of FIFA’s annual congress in the North American country. Taj had intended to travel to Vancouver to attend the FIFA Congress on April 30. However, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency as reported by USA Today, Taj was placed on the next available return flight following what was described as ‘inappropriate behaviour of immigration officials’.
The Iranian football chief was accompanied by his secretary general, Hedayat Mombeini, and his deputy, Hamed Momeni. It is alleged that Taj had been issued a Temporary Resident Permit to enter Canada, yet was turned away owing to his ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He had previously served as a commander of the IRGC, and Canada classifies the organisation as a terrorist group.
It appears that Taj had been permitted to land but was subsequently barred from entering Canada following questioning, before being placed on a return flight on Tuesday. Canada’s immigration ministry declined to comment on the matter specifically but stated: “The government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country. We have taken strong action to hold the IRGC to account and will continue to do so, while protecting the safety of Canadians and upholding the integrity of our immigration system.”
The Express has approached Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department for comment. On Tuesday, Leo Housakos, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada, challenged the government over the anticipated arrival of Taj, as reported by the Iranian press. “Your government can’t seem to show the IRGC the door, but it can find a way to roll out the welcome mat and receive him,” he said.
“Leader, why is your government still unable or unwilling to enforce Canada’s terrorism-related inadmissibility rules? What’s the point of listing the IRGC if you’re not serious about throwing him out of our country.”
The Asian Football Confederation convened on Tuesday, with Iranian officials not present in Vancouver. AFC general secretary Windsor John suggested visa issues were to blame, as 46 of the 47 AFC members gathered together.
“Kindly note that the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran is unable to attend the 36th (AFC) Congress 2026 due to some visa formalities issues,” John said, per The Athletic. FIFA had expected all 211 of its member associations to be represented at Thursday’s Congress, which serves as both a World Cup kick-off event and a convention.
Last week, Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, said that Iran remains welcome to participate in the World Cup amid persistent speculation that they could still withdraw from the tournament. He added that anyone with IRGC connections would be barred from the country, however.