A request for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to give be given a police escort while in Vancouver, British Columbia, for FIFA meetings has been denied, the Vancouver Police Department confirmed on Wednesday.

“Formal motorcades where traffic is stopped are reserved for heads of state,” Deputy Chief Don Chapman said in a statement.

“As the FIFA executive do not meet Internationally Protected Person (IPP) standards that would warrant such an escort (closing roads, intersections, not adhering to traffic devices, etc.), the request was declined,” Chapman said.

FIFA did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Football’s governing body is holding meetings this week in Vancouver, one of the 16 sites of World Cup matches in a tournament co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

FIFA’s Congress, a meeting of representatives from all its members, is scheduled for Thursday.

Published on Apr 30, 2026