Soccer official with Iranian ties says he is shocked national team won’t play in B.C.

VICTORIA — Babak Shahbazi has travelled to France, Germany, Brazil and Russia to watch the Iranian national team play for the World Cup, and when he heard that Iran could be playing in Vancouver in the 2026 event, he and his fellow soccer-fanatic friends couldn’t believe their luck.

“We were 100 per cent sure that one of the games would be in Vancouver,” Shahbazi said. “But then to our surprise … Iran plays twice in Inglewood (California) and Seattle, Washington.”

Shahbazi said he does not know why Iran plays twice in the same stadium and all three of its World Cup games in the United States, but he is sure about one thing.

“It’s very disappointing, very disappointing,” he said.

Figures from the 2021 Census peg the number of Iranian-Canadians in Metro Vancouver at around 45,000 with other estimates suggesting a higher figure. Shahbazi, who is president and founder of Shaheen Athletic Club, said he and many other soccer-loving Iranians were counting on seeing their team play at least one of its games in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Vancouver, only to be left in shock.

“When I saw it, I thought I saw it as a mistake that Iran is going to play twice in Inglewood,” he said.

Shahbazi said many in Canada’s Iranian-community are worried about travelling to the U.S. to see their favourite team because of visa restrictions, due to political tensions which have existed between the U.S. and Iran stemming from the Islamic revolution of 1979.

The countries have not had formal diplomatic relations since then, and the list of political, diplomatic and military incidents between them is long. Just this summer, U.S. airplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites as part of a larger regional conflict that also involved Israel.

Iranians with permanent residence status in Canada must apply for visas if they want to enter the U.S., but the administration of President Donald Trump this month has suspended visa applications from Iran along with those from 18 other mainly Islamic countries, citing security reasons.

Shahbazi, who holds Canadian citizenship, said he has routinely crossed the border, but others in the community have been turned away.

“So everybody is worried,” he said. “People don’t even want to get tickets, because they don’t know if they can cross the border.”

Shahbazi said he hopes soccer’s world governing body will use its power to influence the Trump administration to ease up on border restrictions.

While Shahbazi hasn’t purchased tickets yet, he said there is a good chance that he will watch one of Iran’s games in either Seattle against Egypt on June 26, or in Greater Los Angeles where the team will play twice, first against New Zealand on June 15, and then against Belgium on June 21.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2025.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press