New Delhi: Iran’s football federation (FFIRI) has said that its ticket allocation for the group stage of the World Cup has been revoked just three days before the start of the tournament, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
With global showpiece set begin on Thursday, Iran are scheduled to play New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles before moving to Seattle to face Egypt June 26.
FFIRI in its statement said that according to the regulations and common procedures set by FIFA, 8 per cent of the ticket capacity for each match is allocated to the federations participating in the World Cup, so that fans of each country can purchase tickets through official mechanisms and in coordination with their respective federations.
FFIRI therefore began to sell tickets for the national team’s matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt through its official website, after it had received the relevant quota.
However, the federation alleged that quota allocated to the FFIRI has been withdrawn, and it is currently impossible to sell even a single ticket to fans of the national team through the federation website.
“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,” FFIRI said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries,” the FFIRI statement said.
FFIRI also said that “it raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organisation of the world’s biggest football event.”
Iran’s team arrived in Tijuana, Mexico early on Sunday, ahead of their three matches scheduled in the US.
(IANS)
