Iran World Cup Fan Tickets Revoked, Federation Says
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- FFIRI said Iran's group-stage fan ticket allocation was revoked days before the World Cup, with the federation having already begun selling tickets to supporters — some of whom had made travel arrangements.
- FIFA regulations allocate each participating federation 8% of tickets per match, the basis Iran cited for its expected allocation before the revocation.
- Iran is scheduled to play New Zealand (15 June, Los Angeles), Belgium (21 June, Los Angeles), and Egypt (26 June, Seattle) in the group stage of the Canada-Mexico-US-hosted tournament.
- FFIRI called the ticket revocation "contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions" and accused organizers of bowing to "non-sporting and political considerations."
- Iran relocated its training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico on 25 May, claiming the US was unwilling to host them; under visa conditions, the team must fly in and out of the US on each matchday.
- Iran accused the US on 6 June of denying visas to 15 "integral" backroom staff members, after previously presenting FIFA with 10 participation conditions including allowing personnel who completed IRGC military service.
- Marco Rubio said Iran's players would be welcome but individuals with IRGC links could face entry restrictions; Iran was the only country absent from FIFA's April congress in Vancouver after its delegation was turned away at the Canadian border.
Why it matters: Iranian supporters who bought tickets and booked travel now lose their allocation, on top of a training-base exile to Mexico, 15 denied staff visas, and a fly-in-fly-out matchday arrangement — meaning a country that qualified for the World Cup is effectively being processed through US immigration on game day while its delegation was already turned back at the Canadian border for FIFA's own congress.
