VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Iranian soccer officials were turned back by Canadian authorities en route to this week’s FIFA Congress and will miss the annual meeting, according to Canada’s foreign minister and multiple reports.

It is at least the second time Iranian representatives have been denied entry into North America ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and raises further questions about the extent of their participation in the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that “for sure” Iran will play its matches as scheduled in Los Angeles and Seattle; and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated last week that players will be allowed into the country.

But “the problem with Iran,” Rubio said, “would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC” — or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian regime’s most powerful military and security force.

That’s the problem that seemingly arose this week in Canada. Among the officials with alleged ties to the IRGC is the Iranian soccer federation’s president, Mehdi Taj. The news outlet Iran International reported that Taj flew to Toronto on a Temporary Resident Permit, a special authorization that would allow him to enter Canada. But he was then sent back, rather than being allowed to fly to Vancouver for FIFA events, according to Iran International and Tasnim, an Iranian state-affiliated news agency.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand seemed to confirm the reports Wednesday. “My understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission,” Anand said.

The exact circumstances of the U-turn were murky, though, and Iranian state media cited “inappropriate behavior of immigration officials” at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.

A spokesperson for the Canadian government’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department said that they “cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws,” but told The Athletic in a Wednesday statement that “the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country.”

Both the U.S. and Canada, like the European Union and other countries, have designated the IRGC a terrorist organization.

The reports that Taj had received permission to travel to the FIFA Congress therefore set off a political firestorm in Canada. Senate opposition leader Leo Housakos on Wednesday issued a statement that began: “If indeed Mehdi Taj has been denied entry to Canada, that would be welcome news. However, fundamental questions remain surrounding his travel to Canada.”

“Canadians deserve to know if and why a Temporary Resident Permit was issued to an individual with reported ties to the IRGC, and when that authorization was provided,” Housakos, a member of the Conservative Party, continued. “While we commend the vigilance of the frontline border services agents who reportedly denied him entry, the integrity of our national security should not rely upon a discretionary judgement call at the port of entry; the system should have precluded his arrival entirely.”

He went on to criticize the Canadian government’s Liberal majority for allowing “bad actors” to “operate with relative impunity.”

His rhetoric echoed that of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Rubio, speaking about Iranian soccer personnel who “have ties to the IRGC,” said last week: “We might not be able to let them in.” He went on to say: “What [Iran’s soccer team] can’t bring is a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they’re journalists and athletic trainers.”

It’s not entirely clear which Iranian soccer officials have IRGC ties and what the exact nature of those ties are. But multiple officials were denied U.S. visas ahead of December’s World Cup draw. Three — Taj, general secretary Hedayat Mombeini and his deputy, Hamed Momeni — were reportedly turned away by Canada this week, though Taj has been the one prominently linked with the regime’s forces.

Asian soccer officials had been expecting them to arrive in time for Tuesday’s annual Asian Football Confederation congress, but when that meeting began with 46 of the confederation’s 47 members present (some via Zoom), Iran’s chairs at the Vancouver Convention Centre were empty.

The AFC’s general secretary said at the time that Iran’s representatives were “unable to attend … due to some visa formalities issues.” He later indicated that they were still expected to make it to Vancouver. But they reportedly never did.

A spokesman for FIFA declined to comment.

Neither Infantino nor FIFA’s general secretary, Mattias Grafström, has spoken to reporters this week.

As Infantino walked off a field Wednesday after participating in a friendly soccer tournament for FIFA delegates and former professional players, multiple FIFA public relations staffers hurried to his side. When one reporter tried to ask him a question, Infantino responded: “I will answer everything tomorrow.”