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Euronews
6 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
FIFA faces quandary over US and Iran involvement at 2026 World Cup
FIFA is facing questions about how it will manage the involvement of both the US and Iran at next year's World Cup, just days after Donald Trump ordered the bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities. The US became involved in the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, which ended with an American-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday, when it dropped bunker-buster bombs on several targets inside Iran over the weekend. The mission was hailed by the Trump administration as a profound blow to Iran's nuclear programme, despite a US intelligence report later casting doubt on its effectiveness. Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed on Thursday that the US had "achieved no gains from this war". Amid the tension between the two countries, questions have been raised about the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US and in which Iran will compete. Next year, Iran can only avoid matches in the US if they are placed in Group A, which is exclusively played in Mexico, another of the tournament's three hosts. According to the tournament system, if Iran tops Group A, it will play its round of 32 and round of 16 matches in Mexico. However, if they advance further into the knockout rounds, they would have to move to the US, potentially opening the door to unprecedented diplomatic and security issues. Under FIFA regulations, there is no provision that would prevent Iranians from playing on US soil, even though the Trump administration recently imposed a travel ban on Iranian nationals. An exemption could apply to Iran's football squad and its staff. Internal FIFA consultations are expected to be held ahead of the draw for the tournament in December. The final decision on the groupings will be made by the FIFA Council, which is chaired by the organisation's President Gianni Infantino, who has close ties to Trump. The FIFA Competitions Organising Committee - which includes representatives from the hosts Canada, Mexico and Iran and which is chaired by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin - will play an advisory role. The European position could set a precedent, as UEFA decided in 2022 to separate Ukraine and Belarus in the draw for European competitions, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Euronews has reached out to FIFA for comment about the US and Iran's involvement at next year's tournament. The Iranian national team secured its qualification to the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time in March. It competed in the last tournament in Qatar in 2022, where it faced its American counterpart in a match that attracted widespread political and media attention.
Emirates 24/7
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Emirates 24/7
FIFA announces special transfer window for Club World Cup 2025
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has announced the opening of a special transfer window for all 32 clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The window will run from 1st to 10th June 2025, allowing teams to register new players ahead of the tournament. This move follows the adoption of amendments to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, approved by the FIFA Council in October 2024. The aim is to address disparities in player registration periods and domestic season schedules across participating nations, while offering clubs greater flexibility to strengthen their squads. Under the new regulations, clubs may register players during this designated window, with the final deadline for squad submission set for 10th June. This enables teams to bring newly signed players to the United States for the tournament. An additional opportunity for player registration or replacements will be available following the group stage, between 27th June and 3rd July 2025. This is subject to specific conditions, including that signings must be made within official registration periods. The move is intended to encourage players whose contracts have expired to participate and to ensure top-tier talent is featured in the competition. The tournament will feature clubs from 20 national associations, including the UAE, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia and the United States. The largest and most inclusive edition of the FIFA Club World Cup will kick off on Saturday, 14th June 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and run until 13th July, when the final will be held at the iconic MetLife Stadium. Matches will take place across 11 US cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington D.C. The DAZN platform will serve as the exclusive global broadcaster for the tournament. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
New Straits Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
European walkout after late Infantino delays FIFA Congress
LUQUE (Paraguay): Fuming European delegates staged a walkout at FIFA's Congress in Paraguay on Thursday after world football chief Gianni Infantino jetted in late for the session following meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with US President Donald Trump. FIFA President Infantino's belated arrival at the global governing body's annual meeting caused a delay of more than two hours. Several representatives from European football associations – including UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin – cut short their attendance after Infantino called a recess at the event taking place in Luque, outside Asuncion. UEFA issued a strongly worded statement following the walkout, describing the disruption caused by Infantino's late arrival as "deeply regrettable", accusing the FIFA chief of putting his "private political interests" ahead of the sport. "The FIFA congress is one of the most important meetings in world football, where all the 211 nations in the world's game gather to discuss issues that affect the sport right across the world," the UEFA statement read. "To have the timetable changed at the last minute for what appears to be simply to accommodate private political interests, does the game no service and appears to put its interests second. "We are all in post to serve football; from the streets to the podium, and UEFA members of the FIFA Council felt the need on this occasion to make a point that the game comes first and to leave as originally scheduled." Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness also expressed dismay at Infantino in a statement circulated to reporters, describing the incident as "disappointing and concerning." Infantino for his part issued an apology for his tardiness in remarks to the congress before the delegates left. Infantino blamed flight problems for his late arrival but stressed the importance of attending the meetings in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the 2022 and 2034 World Cups respectively. "As FIFA president, my responsibility is to make decisions in the best interests of the organization (...) I felt I had to be there to represent football and all of you," Infantino said of his visit to the Gulf. The FIFA leader accompanied Trump – who he visited last week at the White House – on his tour of both countries. The United States will take centre stage for FIFA over the coming years, hosting next month's inaugural Club World Cup before staging the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico next year, with the Women's World Cup in 2031. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom declined to elaborate on Infantino's late arrival following the meeting. "I have no comment on that; he explained the reasons why it was delayed. He had important matters to discuss. We had a great Congress," he told reporters. Thursday's meeting wrapped with no major decisions taken. Alejandro Dominguez, the head of South American federation CONMEBOL, meanwhile used the occasion to comment on preparations for the 2030 World Cup. Dominguez, who has recently pushed a controversial proposal for the tournament to be expanded from 48 to 64 teams, said he believed "no-one" should be left out of the event, which marks the World Cup's centenary. "A World Cup is the most popular celebration on planet Earth, and no one should be left out of that celebration," Dominguez said, without explicitly mentioning his idea of expansion. Dominguez's proposal – which would allow for more matches to be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay while the bulk of games would remain in Spain, Morocco and Portugal – has met with stiff opposition throughout the football world. The presidents of the ruling football bodies in Europe, Asia and Central America, the Caribbean, and North America have all spoken out against expansion.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
European walkout after late Infantino delays FIFA Congress
Fuming European delegates staged a walkout at FIFA's Congress in Paraguay on Thursday after world football chief Gianni Infantino jetted in late for the session following meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with US President Donald Trump. FIFA President Infantino's belated arrival at the global governing body's annual meeting caused a delay of more than two hours. Several representatives from European football associations -- including UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin -- cut short their attendance after Infantino called a recess at the event taking place in Luque, outside Asuncion. UEFA issued a strongly worded statement following the walkout, describing the disruption caused by Infantino's late arrival as "deeply regrettable", accusing the FIFA chief of putting his "private political interests" ahead of the sport. "The FIFA congress is one of the most important meetings in world football, where all the 211 nations in the world's game gather to discuss issues that affect the sport right across the world," the UEFA statement read. "To have the timetable changed at the last minute for what appears to be simply to accommodate private political interests, does the game no service and appears to put its interests second. "We are all in post to serve football; from the streets to the podium, and UEFA members of the FIFA Council felt the need on this occasion to make a point that the game comes first and to leave as originally scheduled." Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness also expressed dismay at Infantino in a statement circulated to reporters, describing the incident as "disappointing and concerning." - Infantino apology - Infantino for his part issued an apology for his tardiness in remarks to the congress before the delegates left. Infantino blamed flight problems for his late arrival but stressed the importance of attending the meetings in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the 2022 and 2034 World Cups respectively. "As FIFA president, my responsibility is to make decisions in the best interests of the organization (...) I felt I had to be there to represent football and all of you," Infantino said of his visit to the Gulf. The FIFA leader accompanied Trump -- who he visited last week at the White House -- on his tour of both countries. The United States will take centre stage for FIFA over the coming years, hosting next month's inaugural Club World Cup before staging the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico next year, with the Women's World Cup in 2031. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom declined to elaborate on Infantino's late arrival following the meeting. "I have no comment on that; he explained the reasons why it was delayed. He had important matters to discuss. We had a great Congress," he told reporters. - 'No-one left out' - Thursday's meeting wrapped with no major decisions taken. Alejandro Dominguez, the head of South American federation CONMEBOL, meanwhile used the occasion to comment on preparations for the 2030 World Cup. Dominguez, who has recently pushed a controversial proposal for the tournament to be expanded from 48 to 64 teams, said he believed "no-one" should be left out of the event, which marks the World Cup's centenary. "A World Cup is the most popular celebration on planet Earth, and no one should be left out of that celebration," Dominguez said, without explicitly mentioning his idea of expansion. Dominguez's proposal -- which would allow for more matches to be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay while the bulk of games would remain in Spain, Morocco and Portugal -- has met with stiff opposition throughout the football world. The presidents of the ruling football bodies in Europe, Asia and Central America, the Caribbean, and North America have all spoken out against expansion. "I'm not inviting you to change your position, but rather to reflect together on creating something worthy of history," Dominguez said. tev/raa/iga/rcw/jbr
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
FIFA Congress in Paraguay delayed because president Gianni Infantino was late
FIFA's Congress in Paraguay was delayed on Thursday because FIFA's own president Gianni Infantino had not arrived on time for the scheduled 10.30am start time in Asunción. The Athletic reported last week that the meeting of the FIFA Council, scheduled for Tuesday of this week, had been altered to be a virtual meeting because President Infantino had decided to join the U.S. president Donald Trump for a visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week. Advertisement Infantino was present for meetings that took place this week between President Trump with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and the Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. While Infantino was appearing to form part of the U.S. President's extended entourage, representatives from global soccer associations met in Asunción for a week of meetings in Infantino's absence. This includes Presidents and CEO's or general secretaries of every national federation. Infantino also missed a dinner hosted by the Paraguayan state officials on Wednesday evening, but was due to arrive on Thursday morning in time to address the FIFA Congress. However, his flight still appeared to be in the air for the original local start time of 9:30 am in Paraguay. The 55-year-old was flying on a Qatari private jet, which stopped briefly in Nigeria to refuel before travelling on to South America. The event had already been delayed until 1030am, but member associations and delegates received an email from FIFA citing unexplained 'unforeseen circumstances', therefore delaying the event until 12:30 pm. A security guard approached The Athletic outside the venue and said they had been briefed that the event had been delayed due to the president's late arrival. The security guard was then asked if they meant the Paraguayan president or the FIFA president, and they said the latter. FIFA has been approached for comment.
