Iran’s football federation has said its official ticket allocation for the upcoming World Cup has been withdrawn just days before the tournament begins, leaving supporters who had already made travel arrangements unable to attend their team’s matches.
The tournament kicks off on Thursday, with Iran scheduled to open their Group G campaign against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles before facing Belgium on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
In a strongly worded statement, the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) said it had already begun distributing tickets to fans before being informed that the allocation could no longer be provided.
“This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches,” the federation said.
The FFIRI described the decision as “contrary to the spirit governing international competitions” and raised concerns over what it called possible “non-sporting and political considerations” influencing the tournament organisation.
Under FIFA regulations, each participating federation is typically entitled to around eight percent of tickets for its matches, to be distributed to supporters through official channels.
The Iranian body did not directly state who made the decision to withdraw the allocation but urged FIFA to ensure fairness and neutrality, calling for the governing body to prevent political issues from affecting the competition.
FIFA has yet to publicly respond to the claims.
Iran’s participation in the tournament has already been overshadowed by wider geopolitical tensions and logistical uncertainty, including earlier concerns over visa approvals and travel arrangements for players and staff.
While all members of the playing squad have now reportedly been granted visas, several members of the wider delegation were not approved, adding further complications ahead of their World Cup campaign.
The situation now leaves Iranian fans facing significant barriers to attending matches, just days before one of the biggest tournaments in world football gets underway.
