PARIS: FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom described as &quot;excellent&quot; and &quot;constructive&quot; the meeting held on Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian federation to ensure Iran&#39;s participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Iranians are scheduled to be based in the US and play all three of their group matches there, despite the war currently being waged in the Middle East. &quot;We&#39;ve had an excellent meeting, a constructive meeting together with the Iran FA,&quot; said Grafstrom. &quot;I think we&#39;re working closely together and looking very much forward to welcoming them to the World Cup. &quot;We&#39;ve had the opportunity to discuss some of the operational matters, like we do with every member association. &quot;But I&#39;m very happy that we were able to have this positive exchange, and both the Iran FA and FIFA are very happy with the meeting and looking forward to welcoming Team Melli in the USA, Canada and Mexico.&quot; The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, had said on Thursday that no visas had yet been issued for Iran&#39;s team. But he also described Saturday&#39;s meeting as &quot;positive and constructive&quot; without going into details. &quot;We discussed our concerns and expressed our joint commitment to ensure the smooth participation of Team Melli,&quot; he said. The meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the Turkish Football Federation, comes as the Iranian team prepares to leave on Monday morning for a training camp in Turkey before heading to the United States. Iran hope to play two friendlies in Antalya. They have already confirmed one match, against The Gambia, on May 29, said Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian who heads a company that sets up friendlies for the team. Iran have qualified for their fourth consecutive finals and, when the squad reaches the US, will set up their base camp in Tucson, Arizona. They are due to kick off their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium in the same city and then Egypt in Seattle, in Group G.

In this handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian (C-L) poses for a group photo with players of the Iranian national football team during a farewell ceremony for them before their departure for the 2026 FIFA Wo

Football

Iran hope to play two friendlies in Antalya. They have already confirmed one match, against The Gambia, on May 29.

Iran have 'constructive' meeting with FIFA over World Cup preparations

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ISLAMABAD: Afghan women footballers are set to return to international competition after FIFA approved a regulatory change allowing teams to be recognized under exceptional circumstances.&nbsp;The decision, taken at a FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver this week, comes after years in which Afghan women were unable to compete internationally following the Taliban&rsquo;s return to power in 2021 and the subsequent ban on women&rsquo;s sports in Afghanistan. The national team has not played a competitive international match since December 2018. Under the amended governance rules, FIFA may now approve the registration of a national or representative team even if it is not formally recognized by its member association, in this case, the Afghanistan Football Federation. The change is intended to prevent players from being excluded from international football due to &ldquo;situations beyond their control,&rdquo; according to FIFA. The ruling effectively clears the way for Afghan women players, many of whom have fled the country to represent Afghanistan in officially sanctioned matches with full recognition. &ldquo;We are proud of the beautiful journey initiated by Afghan Women United,&rdquo; FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, referring to a refugee-based squad supported by FIFA. &ldquo;We aim to enable them, as well as other member associations that may not be able to register a national team, to make the next step.&rdquo; The Afghan Women United program was launched as a one-year pilot in 2025 after sustained lobbying from displaced Afghan players. The team has already competed in the FIFA United Women&rsquo;s Series, recording its first victory against Libya in November. More than 80 Afghan women footballers are currently based in countries including Australia, the United States, several European nations and parts of the Middle East. Many were among the 25 players who held contracts with the national setup before the Taliban takeover. FIFA said regional selection camps are underway in England and Australia ahead of a training camp in New Zealand scheduled for June. The team is expected to return to action later this year. However, Afghanistan will not be eligible to qualify for the 2027 Women&rsquo;s World Cup under the current arrangement. The team could, however, compete in qualification pathways for the 2028 Olympic Games. Popal, who has long advocated for Afghan women&rsquo;s football from exile, said the development represents both opportunity and responsibility. &ldquo;Our team has always been known as an activist team,&rdquo; she told Reuters. &ldquo;But this opportunity, with the right support from FIFA, will be the time for us to also show some skills and develop youth talent in the diaspora.&rdquo; She acknowledged the limitations facing women still inside Afghanistan, where opportunities to play remain severely restricted. &ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s going to be tough because Afghan women inside Afghanistan will struggle to be part of that,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But if we can still be the voice for them and send messages of hope, then we will continue to use our platform.&rdquo; The move marks one of FIFA&rsquo;s most significant interventions in recent years on behalf of displaced athletes, and is expected to set a precedent for how the governing body handles teams affected by political upheaval and restrictions on women&rsquo;s sports.

Members of the Afghanistan's national women's football team playing under the Melbourne Victory Afghan women’s team banner celebrate a goal in their first match in a local league against ETA Buffalo SC in Melbourne on April 24, 2022.

Special rule allows players in exile to represent Afghanistan despite ongoing restrictions in their home country.

FIFA clears path for Afghan women’s team to return to international competition

WASHINGTON: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will &quot;for sure&quot; participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war. &quot;Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help,&quot; Infantino told an economic conference organized by broadcaster CNBC. &quot;But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play,&quot; he said of the team&#39;s upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June. Infantino had made similar comments in March, when he attended an Iran-Costa Rica friendly in Antalya, Turkey, even though US President Donald Trump had previously suggested that Iranian players might not be &quot;safe&quot; in the United States. Iran is scheduled to play its three Group G matches in the United States, two in Los Angeles, one in Seattle with their base for the tournament in Tucson, Arizona. &#39;Outside of politics&#39; Iran&#39;s participation in the global tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico had been thrown into doubt by the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28. Iran raised the prospect of a &quot;boycott&quot; of the competition before asking FIFA to move its matches from the United States to Mexico, a request the world governing body rejected. After several weeks of air strikes on Iran and Iranian reprisals against Israel and other countries in the region, a fragile truce came into effect on April 8. But Tehran has sealed off the strategic Strait of Hormuz and since Monday Washington has imposed a blockade on ships coming from or heading to Iranian ports. &quot;Sports should be outside of politics,&quot; Infantino said on Wednesday. &quot;If there&#39;s nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, we are doing the job,&quot; he said. The World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams, starts on June 11.

Football players take part in a training session of the Bicentini Foundation football school in the Fuik neighborhood, east of Willemstad, in the Dutch Caribbean, on April 11, 2026.

Gianni Infantino says Iran will definitely play in the 2026 World Cup despite ongoing regional tensions, emphasizing that football should remain separate from politics.

Iran participating in World Cup, FIFA president confirms

ISLAMABAD: For the first time in history, Pakistan&#39;s women&#39;s national football team will compete at a FIFA event. The side will depart for C&ocirc;te d&#39;Ivoire on Monday to take part in the FIFA Series. At a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, head coach Adeel Rizki, captain Maria Khan, and Women&#39;s Football Department Director Mejzgaan Orakzai each delivered the same message: the team is going to win. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 625px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2040781463344586997&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F5132%2F&sessionId=6b5c2d37e05a447bcfac632cf01bdc99b47cdca8&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div><div class="fr-embed"><div><div> &quot;I believe this is one of the strongest squads we&#39;ve had so far,&quot; Rizki said. &quot;We expect to go there and compete at the highest level and make Pakistan proud.&quot;</div></div></div> Pakistan will face Turks and Caicos Islands, Mauritania, and host nation Ivory Coast, all outside the team&#39;s usual AFC confederation. Women&#39;s Football Department Director Mejzgaan Orakzai said the invitation was secured through the direct efforts of PFF President Mohsen Gilani. &quot;Without his personal involvement and the collaboration of PFF staff, we wouldn&#39;t have been able to do this,&quot; Orakzai said. Captain Maria Khan said Ivory Coast&#39;s World Cup experience changes nothing. Her team has faced that level before. &quot;We played the Philippines, which was also a World Cup team,&quot; she said. &quot;The pressure is on Ivory Coast. It&#39;s not on us.&quot; Maria Khan cited one development as proof of how far the program has come. Several players in the squad are arriving directly from professional club football. &quot;That is one of the best signs for our national team,&quot; she said. On selection, the head coach dismissed any divide between diaspora and local players. &quot;The question is always: which Pakistani player is best suited for which position,&quot; he said. The head coach outlined the program&#39;s targets in order: the SAFF Championship, Asian qualifier berths, then Olympic and World Cup qualification. Meanwhile, Mejzgaan Orakzai stated the PFF Women&#39;s Football Department, which operates as an all-women unit, is also working to build pathways for women coaches, referees, and administrators across all levels of the game.

Pakistan Women’s National Team Captain Maria Khan, alongside Head Coach Adeel Rizki and PFF Director Mejzgaan Orakzai, addresses the media in Lahore on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (PFF)

Pakistan’s women’s football team will compete in a FIFA event for the first time, traveling to Côte d’Ivoire for the FIFA Series as officials express confidence in strong performance.

Pakistan women’s football team makes historic FIFA debut, targets victory

KINSHASSA: Delirious football fans took to the soaked streets of the capital, Kinshasa and danced into the night in the rain after the Democratic Republic of Congo reached the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. Defender Axel Tuanzebe, who plays in the Premier League for Burnley, was the hero with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Jamaica after extra time in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico on Tuesday. The central African nation will face Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan in Group K at the finals in North America this summer. At the 1974 finals in West Germany, the team competed as Zaire and were beaten by Scotland, Yugoslavia and Brazil. &quot;We gave it our all, right here in the rain!&quot; shouted Beni Ile, a fan in Kinshasa whose shoulders were draped in a soaked DRC flag. &quot;We won&#39;t be working on Wednesday! It&#39;s going to be a national holiday. We&#39;re going to celebrate and party all night long. &quot;We&#39;ve been waiting 50 years for this. We&#39;re staying out until dawn.&quot; It was a scene replicated across the city of 17 million people, where the final whistle in Guadalajara was greeted by a cacophony of banging pots, car horns and whistles. The win completed a dramatic qualification campaign for the team nicknamed the Leopards, who eliminated African football giants Nigeria and Cameroon on their way to Tuesday&#39;s playoff. As early as the morning of the big match, many residents of the DRC capital were already sporting the sky-blue jersey of their beloved national side. By evening, several hundred fans had gathered in a square in the city centre in anticipation of watching the game. Even as the rain bucketed down, the conclusion of the match after 120 nervy minutes was met with an outpouring of national pride and relief. It was also a rare moment of national unity in a country scarred by 30 years of conflict and the resurgence of the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group. &quot;It&#39;s truly exceptional, we are very proud of the Leopards today for this feat,&quot; said Merou, who comes from Goma, a major city in eastern DRC that fell into M23 hands in January 2025. &quot;This victory will unify the Congo. &quot;We hope the whole country will benefit from it,&quot; he added, standing in the pouring rain. Another overjoyed supporter, Maclain, said: &quot;We deserve a moment of happiness, away from the gunfire. &quot;We need to come together too.&quot;

Richard King of Jamaica is challenged by Axel Tuanzebe of Congo DR during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off tournament final match between Congo DR v Jamaica at Estadio Guadalajara on March 31, 2026, in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo: AFP)

The central African nation will face Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan in Group K at the finals in North America this summer.

DR Congo fans dance in the rain after sealing World Cup spot

ISLAMABAD: The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) fined the Israel Football Association (IFA) on Thursday for multiple breaches related to discrimination and violations of fair play, according to a report by the disciplinary committee of world football&rsquo;s governing body. The report found the IFA &ldquo;failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem&rdquo; for &ldquo;persistent and well-documented racist behaviour&rdquo;. Beitar is one of the most popular football clubs in Israel, winning 6 national championships. The decision came after a proposal by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) at the 74th FIFA Congress, which led to an investigation into IFA&rsquo;s discriminatory conduct. The committee found that the IFA had committed &ldquo;multiple breaches of its obligations as a FIFA Member Association,&rdquo; including violations of articles concerning &ldquo;offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play&rdquo; as well as &ldquo;discrimination and racist abuse.&rdquo; SanctionsThe IFA has been fined $190,000 and issued a formal warning regarding its conduct. Additionally, the association has been sanctioned to follow a framework aimed at addressing and preventing discrimination. The committee has ordered that the IFA display the text, &ldquo;Football Unites the World &ndash; No to Discrimination&rdquo; alongside the Israel Football Association&rsquo;s logo, during its next three home matches in FIFA competitions. While acknowledging the wider role of sports, FIFA said, &ldquo;the sport must remain a platform for peace, dialogue, and mutual respect,&rdquo; the report concluded that these values hold greater importance, &ldquo;especially in times of conflict and division.&rdquo;

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) fines the Israel Football Association (IFA) $ 190,000 for multiple breaches related to discrimination, racism, and violations of fair play.

FIFA fines Israeli Football Association over racism and discrimination

PARIS: FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday underlined the body&#39;s commitment to making sure the World Cup goes ahead &quot;as scheduled&quot; with &quot;all teams&quot; taking part amid doubts about Iran&#39;s presence at the tournament.&nbsp;&quot;FIFA is looking forward to all teams participating at the World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect,&quot; Infantino said from Zurich during an online FIFA Council meeting.&nbsp;&quot;We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we want the World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.&quot;&nbsp;Iran&#39;s participation has been shrouded in doubt due to the conflict in the Middle East.&nbsp;They are due to play group games in the United States, against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and in Seattle against Egypt.&nbsp;However, Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj indicated that as a result of the US-Israeli attacks on his country he wanted its matches moved to one of the other host nations ,Canada and Mexico will host the World Cup with the United States.&nbsp;&quot;We will be preparing for the World Cup. We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup,&quot; Taj said in the video released on Wednesday.&nbsp;Iran&#39;s football federation says it has opened talks with FIFA about potentially relocating its matches.&nbsp;Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country is prepared to host Iran&#39;s first-round matches if required.&nbsp;&quot;FIFA can&#39;t solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,&quot; added Infantino.

FIFA said the World Cup will go ahead as scheduled with all teams, despite uncertainty over Iran’s participation, as Tehran seeks to move its US matches elsewhere and Mexico says it is ready to host them.

FIFA planning for World Cup to 'go ahead as scheduled' amid Iran uncertainty

PARIS: International transfer fees in men&#39;s football hit a record $13.08 billion (10.9 billion euros) in 2025, world football&#39;s governing body said Wednesday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/fifa-president-to-visit-pakistan-soon-after-promise-to-pm-sharif" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">FIFA</a> said in its annual Global Transfer Market report that 86,158 international transfers were completed in 2025, setting a record.&nbsp;Women&#39;s football accounted for 2,440 transfers (+6.3%) and total spending of $28.6 million, a year-on-year increase of more than 80%.&nbsp;The joint transfer total from men&#39;s and women&#39;s football, professional and amateur, of $13.11 billion represents more than 50% above 2024 spending and 35.6% above the previous record set in 2023.&nbsp;In men&#39;s professional football, clubs from England were once again both the number-one spender and the number-one recipient of transfer fees, with $3.82 billion spent on incoming transfers and $1.77b received for outgoing transfers in 2025.&nbsp;Brazilian clubs led the way in total transfers, with 1,190 incoming and 1,005 outgoing.&nbsp;French players were the most expensive ($1.67 billion), followed by Brazilians ($1.21 billion).&nbsp;The three biggest spending clubs were Premier League outfits Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea.&nbsp;City take top spot from current Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, who do not now figure in a top 20 dominated by 11 English clubs.

In 2025, football transfers hit a record $13.08 billion. England spent and earned the most, Brazil had the most transfers, French players were the priciest, and Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea were top spenders.

Men's football transfer fees hit record $13B: FIFA

Saqib Tanveer

DAVOS: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said he will visit Pakistan in the near future, reaffirming his commitment to support the country&rsquo;s football development and expressing confidence in its long-term potential.&nbsp;Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Infantino said he had promised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that he would travel to Pakistan soon.&nbsp;He praised the leadership of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), saying it is doing &ldquo;a fantastic job&rdquo; in reviving and strengthening the game.&nbsp;Describing Pakistan as a &ldquo;great football country,&rdquo; Infantino said FIFA&rsquo;s objective is to help elevate Pakistan to the top tier of Asian football by ensuring opportunities for emerging talent across the country.&nbsp;FIFA Chief of Global Football Development and former Arsenal manager Ars&egrave;ne Wenger echoed similar views, saying Pakistan&rsquo;s population of 250 million represents a vast opportunity for football growth.&nbsp;&ldquo;There is a huge potential [in the country],&rdquo; Wenger told Pakistan TV Digital, stressing that it must be developed in partnership with FIFA.&nbsp;He stressed that establishing football academies and strengthening youth development are essential first steps in building a sustainable football structure.&nbsp;Wenger said nurturing the game at the grassroots level is critical for translating Pakistan&rsquo;s demographic strength into on-field success.&nbsp;The statements from FIFA&rsquo;s top leadership signal renewed momentum for Pakistan football, with a focus on institutional reform, youth development, and long-term growth aimed at restoring the country&rsquo;s standing in Asian football.

Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he will visit Pakistan soon, praising the PFF’s leadership and aiming to elevate the country’s football potential.

FIFA president to visit Pakistan ‘soon’ after ‘promise’ to PM Sharif

WASHINGTON: Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain and England were all handed kind draws for the 2026 World Cup in a star-studded ceremony on Friday, which saw US President Donald Trump receive FIFA&#39;s new peace prize. The event in Washington started the final countdown to the tournament, six months out from the first-ever 48-team World Cup, with much-fancied France among those receiving a harder task. Lionel Messi&#39;s Argentina will begin their defense of the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 against Algeria, and will also face Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J. Heavily-fancied Spain, the European champions, will kick off against first-time qualfiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H. Thomas Tuchel&#39;s England will meet Croatia, Ghana and Panama in a kind-looking Group L. Two-time winners France, meanwhile, face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland&#39;s Norway in Group I, which will be completed by an intercontinental play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname. The 2026 tournament will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in Qatar in 2022. That means a total of 104 matches, compared to 64 games last time. While the US will host the majority of matches including the final at the MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada. &quot;We&#39;ve worked closely with those two countries, and the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding,&quot; Trump said at the Kennedy Center after receiving his prize from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. &quot;It is truly one of the great honors of my life. It is such an honor to be with Gianni. He has done such an incredible job,&quot; he added. &quot;The world is a safer place now. The United States a year ago was not going too well but now it is the hottest country&nbsp;anywhere in the world.&quot; Brazil face MoroccoTrump seized the limelight, but Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum were also in attendance. While snow fell outside amid freezing temperatures in the US capital, some of the biggest stars in the American sport and entertainment world appeared on stage inside. The event was co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and American actor and comedian Kevin Hart, and featured performances by the Village People, Robbie Williams and Andrea Bocelli. NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky and former NBA superstar Shaquille O&#39;Neal were among the stars helping to conduct the draw. Elsewhere in the draw, co-hosts Mexico will take on South Africa in Group A in the opening game of the tournament at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11. Carlo Ancelotti&#39;s Brazil and surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco came out together in Group C, which also features Scotland and Haiti. Germany&#39;s opponents in Group E will be Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Caribbean minnows Curacao, while Cristiano Ronaldo&#39;s Portugal will face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner. &#39;Greatest event in humanity&#39;&nbsp;Co-hosts the United States got a manageable draw, with Paraguay, Australia and a European play-off winner in Group D. &quot;It will be the greatest World Cup ever, the greatest event that humanity has ever seen. We have three beautiful countries, 16 wonderful host cities, 48 excellent teams who will compete in 104 matches to become the one and only world champion,&quot; Infantino said. &quot;This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month -- this is the magnitude of what we are organizing,&quot; he added of the tournament. Six finals berths are still to be decided in playoffs to take place in March. Because of the complexity, teams will only learn the full details of their match venues and kick-off times on Saturday, a day after the draw.

Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain and England were all handed kind draws for the 2026 World Cup in a star-studded ceremony

Articles tagged with "FIFA"