Iran’s Football Federation says FIFA has revoked the ticket allocation originally set aside for its supporters at the country’s three World Cup group matches in the United States.
Under FIFA regulations, each of the 48 participating nations receives an allocation worth around eight per cent of stadium capacity for distribution among their own fans.
However, with Iran due to begin its campaign against New Zealand on 15 June in Inglewood, California, the federation says it can no longer provide tickets to supporters travelling to the tournament.
FIFA has yet to comment publicly on the claims.
Fresh setback ahead of World Cup
The development is the latest issue affecting Iran’s preparations for the tournament.
Relations between Iranian football authorities, FIFA and tournament co-host the United States have become increasingly complicated following the conflict that began earlier this year.
Iran’s squad arrived in Mexico over the weekend and will use the border city of Tijuana as its World Cup base, having abandoned previous plans to train in Tucson, Arizona.
The team will cross into the United States for matches against New Zealand and Belgium in California before facing Egypt in Seattle later in the group stage.
There have also been reports that some Iranian football officials have been unable to obtain visas to enter the United States.
Fans face uncertainty
National federations typically use their FIFA ticket allocation to reward supporters who regularly attend international fixtures, both at home and abroad.
Any reduction or cancellation of that allocation would leave many Iran fans without direct access to tickets through official channels.
Travel restrictions imposed by the United States have already made it difficult for many Iranian citizens to attend the tournament, raising questions about how many supporters would ultimately be able to travel.
It remains unclear how many tickets from Iran’s original allocation had already been distributed, particularly among members of the Iranian diaspora living overseas.
Previous FIFA stance on supporter access
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has previously stressed that supporters must be able to attend World Cup matches involving their national teams.
Speaking in 2017, during the bidding process for the 2026 tournament, Infantino said access for teams, officials and supporters was fundamental to hosting the competition.
He argued that any nation qualifying for the World Cup should be able to bring its fans to the tournament, describing that principle as essential to the event.
Further concerns over tournament access
Questions surrounding entry requirements have not been limited to supporters.
A FIFA-appointed referee from Somalia was reportedly denied entry to the United States last weekend and has since been withdrawn from the tournament.
The World Cup begins on Thursday, with organisers continuing to face scrutiny over travel and visa arrangements involving participating nations and tournament personnel.
