Days before the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off, Iran's football federation has raised alarm over a troubling development. The country says its fans have been stripped of their official ticket allocation.
Iran's Football Federation, known as FFIRI, made the announcement on Tuesday. It claims supporters were denied access to seats for group-stage matches without warning or explanation.
According to FIFA regulations, each participating nation receives 8% of tickets for matches involving their team. Iran says it had already begun selling these tickets to fans when the allocation was suddenly revoked.
Some Iranian supporters had already made travel plans to North America. They now find themselves stranded without access to the matches they'd paid for.
The Iranian federation issued a sharp rebuke of the decision in a statement. "Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries," it read.
Iran's participation in the tournament has already been shadowed by geopolitical tension. Security concerns tied to the Middle East situation have added pressure to organizers.
Iran's World Cup campaign begins on June 15 in Los Angeles against New Zealand. The team then faces Belgium on June 21, also in Los Angeles, before meeting Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
The tournament starts Thursday, June 11, across Canada, Mexico and the United States. FIFA has not yet commented on the Iranian federation's claims about ticket allocation.
