appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Reuters

Fifa’s member associations meet ⁠in Vancouver on Thursday for their annual congress, a usually routine gathering that carries greater weight this year with the 2026 World Cup less than two months away and several questions still hanging over the first 48-team edition of the tournament.
The biggest World Cup in history will be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to ‌July 19.
One of the clearest concerns is cost.
The sheer scale of staging a tournament across North America, with long-haul travel, differing tax regimes and significant operational demands, has prompted unease among some participating nations.
Uefa has passed on concerns from several European associations that teams could find it difficult to break even unless they progress deep into the competition.
Fifa, for its part, is expected to point to the unprecedented commercial strength of the tournament.

The governing body has indicated it is prepared to raise prize money and participation payments beyond already record ⁠levels, presenting the expanded World Cup as a vehicle for wider redistribution rather than simply a bigger payday for the strongest teams.
Its argument is ‌that more nations, more matches and greater revenues will ultimately mean more money flowing into development programmes and solidarity funding across the global game.
Iran’s participation is the most politically sensitive item on Fifa’s agenda.
Iran have qualified for the ‌World Cup, but security and travel concerns around their matches in the US have prompted officials in Tehran to ⁠seek guarantees and request alternative venues.
rejected any change to the schedule, saying teams are expected to play as planned.
Visa access and travel restrictions are also expected to be closely watched.
Officials from the Palestinian Football Association were recently denied entry to Canada for a pre-congress meeting, underlining the practical obstacles that can arise when sport, border policy and international politics collide.
However, Palestinian association vice-president Susan ‌Shalabi and ‌president Jibril Rajoub have both now been granted visas and are expected to attend the congress, Fifa said on Monday.
Shalabi has already arrived ‌in Vancouver while Rajoub is expected on Tuesday.
Fifa says it is working with host governments to help facilitate access for delegations, although the final ⁠list of attending associations will not be confirmed until the congress begins.
The wider logistics of the 2026 World Cup remain a defining theme. A ⁠tournament spread across three countries, multiple time zones and vast distances will test teams, supporters, broadcasters and organisers in ways no previous World Cup has.
Some federations have raised concerns privately, but Fifa argues that a multi-host model is essential for a 48-team event ‌and reflects the future scale and ambition ‌of the competition.
For Vancouver, then, the task is not only to celebrate the approach of a landmark World Cup but to smooth the final edges before the June 11 kick-off.
Fifa expects the 2026 tournament to be the largest and most lucrative in its history, with projected revenues of around US$13 billion for the current cycle. The challenge now is to ensure that its expanded vision of the World Cup feels not only bigger, but workable, fair and genuinely global.


Mired in match-fixing scandal, Hong Kong’s next opponents Laos hope reinvention holds key

Hong Kong hero back in town for Fifa Asean Cup, as current coach plays down key-man exit

Fok fudges but Hong Kong football chiefs appear ready to make Gianni Infantino their man

Fifa president Gianni Infantino makes an appearance at Under-20 Women’s World Cup

Fifa

Iran, expanded World Cup under spotlight as Vancouver hosts Fifa annual congress

A giant replica of the official Fifa World Cup 2026 match ball is displayed inside a shop in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Construction continues at SoFi Stadium as Los Angeles prepares for the World Cup. Photo: Reuters

World Cup in USA gets backing from Germany legend despite mixed memories of 1994 finals

Stefan Effenberg hoists the Champions League trophy following Bayern Munich’s victory over Valencia in the 2001 final. Photo: Reuters

Stefan Effenberg leaps highest during Germany’s 1994 World Cup clash with South Korea in Dallas. Photo: Reuters

Stefan Effenberg talks to the South China Morning Post during his visit to Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong’s Denise Yeung to become first Chinese woman to compete in Road to Le Mans

Denise Yeung has prepared for more than nine months for the race, which she says typically has only two or three women drivers, who are usually in their 20s. Photo: Denise Yeung

Denise Yeung (left) will team up with 20-year-old English driver Theo Micouris (right) for the  Road to Le Mans race in France. Photo: Denise Yeung

Denise Yeung says she intends to race even when she is 70. Photo: Denise Yeung

Denise Yeung won the Hong Kong Touring Car Championship N2000 title in 2015. Photo: Denise Yeung

Sport

Football

Concerns over greater costs, Iran’s participation the main issues less than two months before first 48-team edition of tournament


Concerns over greater costs, Iran’s participation the main issues less than two months before first 48-team edition of tournament.


Fifa World Cup

US-Israel war on Iran

Uefa

Iran, expanded World Cup under spotlight as Vancouver hosts Fifa annual congress

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Concerns over greater costs, Iran’s participation the main issues less than two months before first 48-team edition of tournament

Concerns over greater costs, Iran’s participation the main issues less than two months before first 48-team edition of tournament