Iran Files FIFA Complaint Over US Visa Restrictions
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- Iran's Football Federation (FFIRI) will lodge an official complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions at the 2026 World Cup, calling the conditions "inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams."
- Under US visa terms, Iran may fly in only the day before a match and must leave the evening of game day; FFIRI says requests to arrive two days early for the Belgium and New Zealand fixtures — to allow training and acclimatization — were both denied.
- Head coach Amir Ghalenoei labeled Iran "the most oppressed" team at the tournament after a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles, while multiple "integral" backroom staff were denied entry visas and FFIRI's ticket allocation was revoked on the eve of the tournament.
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited Iran's dressing room after the New Zealand game, as FFIRI urged FIFA to "uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations."
- Iran relocated their World Cup base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico amid Middle East conflict; remaining Group G games are against Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 27.
- Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Iran "knew the situation they faced," and a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the BBC that the Iranian team "agreed to these terms."
Why it matters: The complaint puts FIFA in the middle of a politically charged dispute over US hosting conditions — if FIFA intervenes, the US faces pressure to ease visa rules mid-tournament; if not, Iran gains a platform to frame the 2026 World Cup as politicized, potentially souring the optics of two remaining matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.
