Iran Fan Ticket Allocation Revoked for World Cup Matches, Says Federation
The Iranian football federation says FIFA has withdrawn its ticket allocation for all three of Iran's group-stage games in the United States, calling the move politically motivated.
The 2026 World Cup is just days away, and Iran's participation has been shadowed by a dispute over supporter access. According to the Iranian football federation, FIFA has withdrawn the ticket allocation that would normally allow Iranian fans to attend the country's three group-stage matches on American soil — leaving the federation, in its own words, unable to provide supporters with a single seat.
Under standard World Cup arrangements, each of the 48 participating federations receives a share of stadium capacity at its team's matches, amounting to roughly 8 per cent of available seats. For Iran, that share covered three fixtures: a Group G opener against New Zealand in Inglewood, California on June 15, a second group match against Belgium in Inglewood on June 21, and a third against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. According to the Iranian federation, all of that allocation has now been withdrawn, leaving fans with no official route to purchase tickets through their national body.
In a public statement, the Iranian football federation described the situation as raising serious questions about the role of political considerations in the organisation of the world's largest football event, framing the revocation as something it could not explain purely through sporting or logistical grounds. The federation did not detail what reason, if any, FIFA provided for removing the allocation.
FIFA said it was working with the Iranian federation to find solutions that would still allow Iranian supporters to attend matches, without confirming whether the allocation had been formally withdrawn or clarifying what compliance conditions were involved. The governing body did not expand further on the nature of the discussions.
The ticket dispute is the latest difficulty to mark Iran's preparations for the tournament. Several officials, including senior federation figures, have been denied US visas in the weeks leading up to the competition, and the squad chose to base itself in Tijuana, Mexico rather than on American soil. With less than 48 hours until the tournament kicks off, whether Iranian fans will be able to watch their team in person remains unresolved.
Sources: ESPN — World Cup tickets for Iran fans revoked, says country's federation
