During the recent Congress of FIFA (International Football Federation), the head of the entity, Gianni Infantino, made it clear that, even with the World Cup at hand, aspects within the four lines are not in the foreground.
Seeking a new election to remain in office until 2031, the Swiss-Italian leader opened his speech in front of the more than 200 member associations present dealing with a thorny issue. His first words were not about the star Messi or Argentina’s attempt to defend their title, but to reaffirm the Iranian team’s participation in the competition — only 21st in the ranking.
“Let me begin by confirming at the outset that, of course, Iran will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Infantino said. “And, of course, Iran will play in the United States of America.”
With a month to go before the first duel of the World Cup, between Mexico and South Africa, on June 11th, at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City, off-field aspects have been taking center stage in the news related to the tournament.
The very uncertainties surrounding the participation of the Iranian national team, fears regarding the actions of ICE (the North American immigration police) around the stadiums and the waves of drug trafficking violence in Mexican cities share the attention with the fans’ furious complaints about ticket prices and transport fares to the stadiums.
Himself the target of a series of questions due to his closeness to Donald Trump, to whom he awarded the FIFA Peace Prize, Gianni Infantino says that everything is going as expected and is under control.
According to the director, ticket prices — considered “exorbitant” by some fans — are nothing more than a reflection of extremely high demand. FIFA says it has received 500 million requests from around the world.
Infantino cited the resale market, authorized on the entity’s own platform, as one of the causes for the rising prices. There is no limit to the amounts charged.
“If some people put tickets to the final on a resale market for $2 million [R$ 9,8 milhões]this does not mean that the ticket costs US$2 million”, said the head of FIFA.
“And that doesn’t mean anyone is going to buy those tickets. In fact, if someone buys a ticket for $2 million, I’ll bring a hot dog and a Coke myself to make sure they have a great experience.”
The leader also ran in support of the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to confirm the departures planned for Guadalajara, capital of the state of Jalisco. The region experienced a wave of violence, caused by the death of a powerful drug trafficker by the police.
The Guadalajara stadium will host four group stage games, including the duel between world champions Uruguay and Spain, on June 26th.
Under attack from the United States and Israel since the end of February, Iran had its request to play in Mexico denied by FIFA and saw its participation questioned numerous times. There were conflicting statements, comings and goings from the American president, Infantino and the Iranian leaders themselves.
The Asian team is part of Group G, with one game scheduled for Seattle and two for the outskirts of Los Angeles.
At the head of a contested migration policy that has generated warnings from NGOs about the risk of deportations during the World Cup, Donald Trump went so far as to say in April that Iran should not participate for its “own life and security”, retreating shortly afterwards.
“Well, if Gianni said that, that’s fine with me,” Trump said, following the FIFA president’s statements confirming Iranian participation.
Iran canceled participation in the FIFA Congress, complaining about the treatment received by Canadian immigration at Toronto airport.
The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, is a former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the armed and ideological wing of the Islamic Republic, considered a terrorist group by the governments of Canada and the United States.
Last Saturday (9), the federation published a text in which it confirmed the participation of its team in the World Cup, as long as a series of requirements were met. One of them is the release of leaders linked to the Guard. The list of demands includes respect for the Iranian flag and anthem and reinforced security at airports, hotels and routes to stadiums.
Injuries mark the final stretch of preparation
On the sports field, the teams are making the final adjustments before the final stretch of preparation for the World Cup, many of them having to deal with injuries to important names in their squads.
The Mexican team was the first to begin the training period for the tournament, on Wednesday (6), for players who play in the local league, without being able to count on goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón. The América athlete ruptured his Achilles tendon in a duel with Philadelphia in the Concacaf Champions League.
At least 15 players have had recent injuries that should prevent them from playing for their respective teams during the tournament.
French striker Hugo Ekitiké and Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons are among the main absences already confirmed, while young talent Lamine Yamal is one of those racing against time to try to recover from injury and defend Spain.
The Brazilian team has already suffered two important casualties, Rodrygo and Éder Militão, old acquaintances of coach Carlo Ancelotti, and could still lose Estêvão, who is trying to recover from a serious muscle injury.
The list of 26 names from Brazil will be announced by the technical committee on May 18th.
