Iran’s football federation has accused the United States of withdrawing its designated ticket allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a move it says could prevent thousands of Iranian supporters from attending the tournament.
The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) made the allegation in a statement issued on Tuesday, less than three days before the World Cup gets underway.
According to the federation, Iranian supporters had already begun purchasing tickets through official channels after the allocation was initially granted under FIFA regulations.
Under FIFA rules, each participating member association receives an eight per cent ticket allocation for every match to distribute directly to its supporters.
The FFIRI said it had received its quota and commenced ticket sales for Iran’s three Group G matches before the allocation was unexpectedly withdrawn.
The federation said: “However, in an unexpected move, the allocation granted to the Iranian Football Federation has been withdrawn, and under the current circumstances, the federation is unable to provide even a single ticket to supporters of the national team.”
Iran’s football authorities described the development as inconsistent with the principles governing international sport and called for intervention from FIFA and tournament organisers.
The federation said the decision was contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.
The dispute adds to a series of challenges Iran has faced in the build-up to the tournament amid wider geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The FFIRI had previously stated that about 15 administrative and management officials, including federation president Mehdi Taj, were denied entry visas by US authorities.
While players and members of the coaching crew later obtained visas, reports indicated that the documents were issued under conditions requiring the team to leave the United States immediately after each match.
Iran also relocated its pre-World Cup training camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana in Mexico following difficulties linked to the diplomatic situation between both countries.
Team Melli are scheduled to play all their Group G matches in the United States.
Iran will face New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, before taking on Egypt on June 26 at Seattle Stadium in Washington.
Neither FIFA nor tournament organisers had publicly responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
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