Iran blamed the United States after its allocation of World Cup tickets for Iranian soccer fans was revoked days before the start of the international tournament.
The Islamic regime’s national soccer team made the claim on Tuesday, two days before the World Cup begins and six days before its first match in California.
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“With less than three days remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup … the United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team’s three group stage matches,” the Iranian soccer federation said after it had already begun the ticket sales process.
“This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches,” the organization added. “Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.”
Normally, each participating World Cup country is allocated 8% of the tickets for every match in which its team is playing. But Iran’s quota was allegedly scrapped altogether by the U.S.
FIFA officials have been in discussion with the Iranian men’s soccer team regarding the ticket issue.
“FIFA is working closely with the IR Iran Football Federation to identify compliant solutions that maximize opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches,” FIFA said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
Iran received its ticket allotment from FIFA, according to a source familiar with the situation, but the problem stems from sanctions that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed on Iran.
In other words, the sanctions prevent a U.S.-based entity, such as FIFA, from processing transactions related to the tickets for Iranian supporters.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as a tenuous ceasefire has not yet resulted in a permanent peace between the two countries. Iranian officials have bemoaned the treatment of their soccer team by the U.S. during wartime.
The Iranian players are staying in Mexico after the U.S. refused to host them. Additionally, they are required to leave American soil on the same day of their matches in the U.S.
The team was originally supposed to stay in Tucson, Arizona, for the tournament. Its members are now based just south of the U.S. border in Tijuana, Mexico.
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The 26 players on the Iranian team were granted visas to the U.S. for their group matches, but the same wasn’t done for several staff members due to security concerns. The U.S. has said some staff members, including Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj, are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
After the World Cup starts Thursday, Iran will play New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26 for its three group matches. Iran has no scheduled matches in Mexico or Canada, the other two North American countries hosting the World Cup.
