Iran Files Complaint with Fifa Over World Cup Travel Restrictions
Iran’s World Cup campaign, already framed by geopolitics and tension, has taken another turn off the pitch. The country’s football federation will lodge an official complaint with Fifa over what it calls restrictive and unequal travel conditions imposed on its national team at the 2026 tournament.
Under the terms of their US visas, Iran’s players and staff are only allowed to fly into the United States — co-hosts alongside Canada and Mexico — the day before each match and must leave again on the same day the game is played. No extra days to acclimatise. No time to settle.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei did not hide his anger after Iran’s opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles, describing his side as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.
The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) has now moved from words to action.
In a statement, the FFIRI said the restrictions are “inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams' preparation processes”. The federation confirmed it “will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with Fifa through the appropriate channels.”
This World Cup has hovered under a cloud for Iran from the start. Their involvement has been shadowed by the war in the Middle East and the security and diplomatic complications that come with it. Several “integral” members of the backroom staff were denied US entry visas, disrupting the team’s support structure before a ball was even kicked.
On the eve of the tournament, Iran’s ticket allocation was also revoked, prompting the FFIRI to publicly urge Fifa to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations.”
Tension has been visible, not just in statements but in scenes behind closed doors. Fifa president Gianni Infantino visited the Iran dressing room after the draw with New Zealand, a rare intervention that underlined how politically charged this campaign has become.
The travel dispute sits at the heart of Iran’s frustration.
Iran originally planned to base themselves in Arizona, but switched their camp to Tijuana in Mexico amid the conflict in the Middle East. Even after that move, the team’s request for more flexible travel was blocked. The FFIRI said it “needed to arrive in each host city two days before every match and return to its base camp the day after the game in order to achieve optimal technical and physical preparation.”
That request was rejected for the New Zealand game. The federation says the pattern is repeating.
The same situation has now been repeated ahead of Iran's second match against Belgium,” the FFIRI added. The game in Los Angeles kicks off at 12:00 local time on 21 June (20:00 BST), and Iran argued that arriving two days earlier was essential to adapt to conditions, complete final training and fine-tune preparations. Again, the answer was no.
From the US side, officials insist the conditions were clear and agreed.
“The Iranian national football team agreed to these terms,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the BBC when asked about Ghalenoei’s complaints.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Fifa Task Force, reinforced that stance in comments to CBS News. “The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match,” he 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.”
All of this unfolds against an uneasy diplomatic backdrop. The presidents of the US and Iran have signed an initial peace deal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, but on the ground at this World Cup, the relationship remains tightly controlled and heavily policed.
On the pitch, Iran still have two group games to navigate, both on US soil. After Belgium in Los Angeles, they face Egypt in Seattle on 27 June (04:00 BST). Each fixture now comes with an added layer of logistical strain: fly in, play, fly out.
For Ghalenoei and his players, preparation windows are being squeezed to the limit. For the FFIRI, the question is bigger: in a World Cup built on promises of unity and equal footing, how far can a team go when its movements are constrained by politics as much as by football?
