The Iranian Football Federation has been stripped of its allocation of World Cup tickets, days before the start of the competition, which could affect the plans of hundreds of fans who were scheduled to attend group stage matches, according to media reports. Associated Press, Reuters and New York Times.
Under FIFA regulations, 8% of tickets available for FIFA matches are allocated to participating teams to be sold or distributed to fans.
According to the Associated Press, most of the allocations were put up for sale after the group’s draw in December, when Iranians were already subject to a five-month U.S. government travel ban.
With less than a week remaining before Iran opens its World Cup bid on June 15 at the Los Angeles Rams’ 70,000-seat stadium in Inglewood, Calif., against New Zealand, those tickets may no longer be guaranteed, the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation claimed in a statement obtained by the AP and Reuters.
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She added: “Depriving Iranian fans of access to the legal and official tickets allocated to them is an act that contradicts the spirit that governs international competitions and the principle of equality between participating countries.”
The Etihad’s claims come amid escalating tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel after the latter launched coordinated air strikes on Iran in late February, all of which are currently adhering to a fragile ceasefire reached during diplomatic negotiations. However, Israeli-led attacks on Iranian-backed Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon on Sunday and targeted strikes on allied US and Gulf military bases threaten the truce.
First responders inspect an apartment building hit in a US-Israeli raid in Tehran, on March 27, 2026.
AFP Photos/Wahid Salmi
FIFA is the sole body responsible for distributing tickets for the World Cup. The Iranian Football Federation statement continued, “The United States has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian fans in stadiums.”
The Iranian Football Federation claimed, “This incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organization of the largest football event in the world.”
FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday that it is “working closely with the Iranian Football Federation to identify compatible solutions that increase the opportunities for Iranian fans to attend matches.”
Both its president Gianni Infantino and Secretary-General Matthias Grafström have promised logistical support in face-to-face meetings with Iranian football officials in Türkiye in recent weeks.
Most of the 26-man Iranian national team have not played any official matches since the country’s professional league was halted in February when the war began. The team’s World Cup training ground, initially scheduled to be in Tucson, Arizona, was later moved to Tijuana, Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup will be the federation’s seventh participation in the competition.
It is unclear how many tickets were sold from Iran’s allocation.
If the Iranian tickets are cancelled, FIFA will have days to sell about 5,600 tickets for Monday’s Iran-New Zealand match, even though Los Angeles has the largest Iranian community in the United States.
Reports of tickets being canceled for Iranian fans came on the same day that a top Somali referee, who was set to break records as the first referee from that country to officiate at a World Cup finals, was banned from entering the United States.
Omar Artan was announced as referee two months ago. He is one of the most senior officials in Africa and was named the best referee on the continent in 2025.
US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that the man was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday due to “vetting concerns,” without providing details about those concerns.
-With files from The Associated Press
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