Iran’s football federation announced Tuesday that the United States has revoked its allocation of tickets for the national team’s World Cup group stage matches, accusing the co-host of deliberately blocking Iranian supporters amid ongoing diplomatic tensions.
According to the federation, the U.S. has imposed several bureaucratic obstacles on Iran’s World Cup participation—including denying visas to certain members of Iran’s support staff—following military actions by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February.
“With less than three days until the start of the 2026 World Cup, the United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting our group stage matches,” the federation said in a statement.
FIFA regulations stipulate that each participating federation is entitled to eight percent of tickets for each match, distributed through official channels to their fans. Iran’s federation said it had already begun selling its ticket allocation for group games against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt—all scheduled for U.S. venues—and that some fans had already made travel arrangements.
However, the statement continued, the previously granted ticket allocation was abruptly withdrawn. “Given the current situation, the federation is unable to provide even a single ticket to supporters of the national team,” it said.
The Iranian football body described the move as “contrary to the spirit of international competitions and the principle of equality among participating nations.” It called on FIFA and tournament organizers to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations, and to ensure Iranian fans can attend.”
Neither FIFA nor U.S. organizers have publicly responded to Iran’s allegations. The dispute is the latest in a series of challenges facing Iran’s World Cup delegation, including visa denials that Tehran claims have barred 15 staff members from entering the U.S. Rising tensions also led Iran to shift its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.
Iran will open its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by matches against Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
—AFP
