Key Takeaways
- Canada has refused visas to three Palestine Football Association executives ahead of the Fifa Congress in Vancouver.
- The PFA wanted to raise the issue of Israeli clubs playing in the West Bank, but Fifa has already ruled it will take no action.
- Visa problems for some nations are raising fears about free travel to this summer’s expanded 48-team World Cup.
Three senior members of the Palestine Football Association will miss the Fifa Congress in Vancouver after Canada rejected their visa requests.
The Congress, set for 30 April, is viewed as the unofficial start of the 2026 World Cup that will be shared by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The blocked officials include PFA president Jibril Rajoub, the general secretary and the head of legal affairs. The association has now asked Fifa to step in and speak to Canadian immigration authorities.
The Palestinians had planned to use the gathering to press their complaint that Israeli teams play league matches on land they consider occupied. Fifa finished a long inquiry in March and decided no sanction was needed, saying the legal status of the West Bank is “highly complex”.
Canada’s immigration service will not discuss personal cases but stressed that every applicant must meet normal entry rules. Similar visa worries already affect Haiti, Iran, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, raising questions about whether all teams and fans will move freely once the tournament kicks off on 11 June in Mexico City.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has promised that “everyone will be welcome” in the host countries, and the world body has been asked to comment on the latest travel setback.