Iran Files Complaint to Fifa Over World Cup Travel Restrictions
Iran’s World Cup campaign is being fought on two fronts: on the pitch, and at the border.
The Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) has announced it will lodge an official complaint with Fifa over strict US visa conditions that it says are undermining the team’s ability to prepare properly for matches at the 2026 tournament.
Under the current rules, Iran’s squad is allowed to fly into the United States only the day before each game and must leave again on the same day the match is played. The US is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico.
Those constraints framed Iran’s opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles, after which head coach Amir Ghalenoei described his side as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.
“Inconsistent with equal conditions”
In a strongly worded statement, the FFIRI argued that the visa terms run against the spirit of a level playing field.
The federation said the restrictions are “inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams' preparation processes”.
It went on: “Consequently, the federation will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with Fifa through the appropriate channels.”
Iran wanted to arrive in each US host city two days before every match and return to base camp the day after, describing that schedule as essential for “optimal technical and physical preparation”. That request, the federation said, was rejected before the New Zealand game — and again before their next match against Belgium.
Political backdrop and security tension
Iran’s place at this World Cup has been shadowed by geopolitical tension from the start, tied to the war in the Middle East and related security concerns.
The team had originally planned to base themselves in Arizona but switched their camp to Tijuana in Mexico as the conflict escalated. From there, they must now shuttle in and out of US territory on a tight matchday-minus-one, matchday-exit loop.
Multiple “integral” members of Iran’s backroom staff have already been denied entry visas for the US. On top of that, the FFIRI says its ticket allocation was revoked on the eve of the tournament, prompting a call for Fifa to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations”.
The sense of strain was clear enough that Fifa president Gianni Infantino went into the Iran dressing room after the draw with New Zealand, a rare intervention that underlined how charged the situation has become.
US stance: terms were accepted
American officials insist nothing has been sprung on Iran at the last minute.
“The Iranian national football team agreed to these terms,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the BBC when asked about Ghalenoei’s comments.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Fifa Task Force, echoed that line in an interview with CBS News, laying out the schedule in blunt terms.
“The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match,” Giuliani said. “They'll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match. And they'll be able to do that again in Los Angeles.”
The presidents of the US and Iran have signed an initial peace deal aimed at ending the war, but on the ground at this World Cup, the security framework remains rigid.
Preparation squeezed before Belgium and Egypt
Iran now face the prospect of navigating their remaining group games under the same constraints, both of them on US soil.
They play Belgium in Los Angeles on 21 June (20:00 BST), a lunchtime kick-off locally at 12:00, and then travel north to meet Egypt in Seattle on 27 June (04:00 BST).
For the Belgium match, the FFIRI says it again requested permission to enter Los Angeles two days before kick-off, citing the need for players to adapt to conditions, complete a final training session, and “finalise preparations”. That plea was also turned down.
“The same situation has now been repeated ahead of Iran's second match against Belgium,” the federation said. “Despite the technical reasons presented by the federation, the request was once again denied.”
So Iran will keep shuttling across the border, their World Cup reduced to a series of 24-hour windows in US airspace. The complaint to Fifa is coming. The question now is whether football’s governing body can, or will, shift the lines drawn by politics before Iran’s tournament runs out of road.
