Iran’s soccer federation has encountered a significant obstacle just days before the 2026 World Cup kickoff. The federation announced it has lost the ability to issue tickets for the event, which impacts hundreds of fans who planned to attend matches.
According to FIFA’s guidelines, participating federations are allotted 8 percent of the tickets for their team’s matches. These tickets are either sold or distributed to fans. The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran described losing the ticket allocation ability as an ‘unexpected move.’ The federation expressed regret, stating it cannot provide any tickets to supporters despite having already sold some tickets through its website.
The federation did not disclose who revoked this ability, but it attributed the issues to the United States, which is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada. The federation criticized the host country’s actions and called them contrary to sports norms, claiming they hinder Iranian supporters. Despite repeated inquiries, Iran’s soccer federation did not provide additional comments.
In a statement to Iranian state media, the federation urged FIFA to maintain neutrality, fairness, and regulations to enable Iranian fans to attend the tournament. Though many World Cup tickets are allocated through lotteries, those distributed by soccer federations typically go to the team’s most loyal fans.
On Tuesday, FIFA did not address requests for clarification. The U.S. Soccer Federation redirected inquiries to FIFA.
Iran’s World Cup participation was uncertain following airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iran in February. For months, Iranian players and officials were unsure if they would receive visas to play in the United States. Last week, player visas were issued, but over a dozen support staff applications were denied, according to four senior officials.
Paolo Zampolli, an American special envoy, stated the restrictions aimed to ‘protect the homeland.’ The Iranian team initially planned to be based in Tucson, Arizona, but opted to move to Tijuana, Mexico, near the U.S. border. Mehdi Taj, the federation president and former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, noted the decision was made with FIFA to reduce time spent in the United States.
Iran is slated to play three games on the West Coast, starting with New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday. The team will face Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Jonathan Wolfe is a reporter for the Times, stationed in London, focusing on breaking news.