Iran’s soccer federation has reportedly been stripped of its allocation of World Cup tickets, days before the competition is set to start, which could affect the plans of hundreds of fans who were set to attend group-stage matches, according to media reports by The Associated Press, Reuters and The New York Times.
Under FIFA regulations, participating teams are allocated eight per cent of the available tickets for their federation’s matches to be sold or distributed to fans.
According to The Associated Press, most allocations went on sale after the group draw in December, when Iranians had already been subject to a U.S. government travel ban for five months.
With less than a week to go before Iran opens its World Cup bid on June 15 at the 70,000-seat Los Angeles Rams’ stadium in Inglewood, Calif., against New Zealand, those tickets may no longer be guaranteed, the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran claimed in a statement obtained by the AP and Reuters.
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“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,” it said.
The federation’s claims come amid heightened tensions between Iran, the U.S., and Israel after the latter launched co-ordinated airstrikes on Iran in late February, all of which are currently adhering to a fragile ceasefire brokered during diplomatic negotiations. However, Israeli-led attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon on Sunday and targeted strikes on U.S. and allied Gulf military bases threaten the truce.
First responders inspect a residential building hit in a U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, on March 27, 2026.
AP Photo/Vahid Salemi
FIFA is the sole body responsible for ticket allocation at the World Cup. The Iranian football federation suggested that “the United States has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums,” its statement continued.
“This incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organization of the world’s biggest football event,” the Iranian soccer federation claimed.
FIFA said in a statement Tuesday it is “working closely with the IR Iran Football Federation to identify compliant solutions that maximize opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches.”
Its president, Gianni Infantino, and secretary general, Mattias Grafström, each promised logistical support in face-to-face meetings with Iranian soccer officials in Turkey in recent weeks.
Most of Iran’s 26-man squad has not played a competitive match since the country’s professional league shut down in February when the war began. The team’s World Cup training ground, initially set to be in Tucson, Ariz., was subsequently moved to Tijuana, Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup will mark the federation’s seventh appearance at the competition.
It is unclear how many tickets from Iran’s allocation have been sold.
If Iranian tickets are revoked, FIFA would have days to sell about 5,600 tickets for the Iran-New Zealand game on Monday, though Los Angeles has the largest Iranian community in the U.S.
Reports of ticket revocations for Iranian fans came on the same day that a top Somali referee, set to break records as the first from that country to officiate at the World Cup, was denied entry to the U.S.
Omar Artan was announced as a referee two months ago. He is one of Africa’s top officials and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.
He was barred from entering at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns.
— with files from The Associated Press
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