Italy repechage to World Cup: Iran ruled out by Canada, Azzurri pulled in. Raising the stakes

At the upcoming FIFA Congress in Vancouver, just weeks before the World Cup kicks off, Iran will not be there. The Tehran-based federation said the delegation, which included the president and former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mehdi Taj, was turned away at Toronto Pearson Airport after being subjected to what it called “unacceptable behavior by immigration officials.”

The federation claims that their treatment was “an insult to one of the most honorable organs of the Iranian armed forces” and that the delegation “returned to Turkey on the first available flight.”

The incident casts a shadow over Iran’s participation in the World Cup. Rumors about Italy’s participation have increased after Trump’s special envoy Paolo Zampolli’s pressure on FIFA and are again circulating in the US. At the moment, however, Iran’s presence is confirmed: the Tehran selection is expected to make its debut in Inglewood, near Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 16.

The prize money for the 2026 World Cup, meanwhile, is getting richer: FIFA has announced that the prizes for the 48 participants in the 2026 World Cup will increase substantially. This was decided by the FIFA Executive, which met in Vancouver in preparation for the Congress to be held on Friday.

The increase is 15 percent, linked to higher commercial revenues from the edition kicking off next June 11 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, Ansa reported. The total prize money rises from the $727 million defined last December, already double that of Qatar 2022, to the current $871 million. Each team will have a minimum contribution of 2.5 million for preparation (instead of 1.5) and 10 million (instead of 9) for participation in the group stage alone. The rest of the prize money will be distributed according to the individual teams’ progress, and the world champion national team will get 50 million.