Iran Claims World Cup Ticket Quota Revoked Just Before Tournament Kick-Off

Iran’s football federation announced on Tuesday that its ticket allocation was withdrawn only a few days before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026. As a result, supporters who had already arranged travel will not be able to attend their team’s matches.

The World Cup starts on Thursday, with Mexico taking on South Africa. Iran will play their first two Group G matches in Los Angeles, facing New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, before taking on Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

In a statement, the Iranian federation (FFIRI) said it had already started the ticket sales process for the games but is now unable to provide tickets to supporters.

"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," said the Iranian federation statement.

"Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.” added the statement.

The statement further added that the latest development is concerning, showcasing how political actors can interfere in the processes of a global sports event.

"This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organization of the world's biggest football event." added the FFIRI statement.

As per the rules, each team at the FIFA World Cup is given 8% of tickets for their matches, which they can then distribute to their fans in their own way.

The Iranian federation did not name who decided to stop the ticket allocation, but it asked FIFA to stick to "the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations" while organizing the event in the US.

Responding to the federation’s request, FIFA said it is working closely with the relevant authorities to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

“FIFA is working closely with the IR Iran Football Federation to identify compliant solutions that maximize opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches.” said the FIFA statement.

Iran’s World Cup participation has been uncertain since the U.S. and Israel carried out air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, which sparked a wider regional conflict.

The Iranian federation worked to shift the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico because there were doubts over whether U.S. visas would be granted, along with concerns in Iran about keeping the team’s time in the U.S. to a minimum.

After weeks of waiting, the U.S. finally approved visas for all the players last week, just days before their first match. However, several members of the support staff were still not given US visas.