Iran says ticket allocation for FIFA World Cup withdrawn days before tournament
New Delhi, June 9
Iran's football federation has said that its ticket allocation for the group stage of the World Cup has been revoked just three days before the start of the tournament, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.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However, the federation alleged that quota allocated to the FFIRI has been withdrawn, and it is currently impossible to sell even a single ticket to fans of the national team through the federation website.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
Reader Comments
I understand the geopolitical tensions, but this is a blatant violation of FIFA's own rules. How can you allocate tickets and then just snatch them away? The Iranian team and fans must be heartbroken. As an Indian who loves football, this makes me sad.
Typical American double standards, yaar. They talk about freedom and fair play, but when it comes to Iran, they show their true colors. FIFA should step in and ensure the tickets are restored immediately. Otherwise this whole tournament is a farce. 😡
As an American, I'm embarrassed by this. We always preach about keeping politics out of sports, and then we do this? The Iranian fans deserve to be at the World Cup just like any other country's supporters. This is a dark day for football. 🇺🇸⚽
It's heartbreaking to see the beautiful game being used as a political weapon. The Iranian players have worked so hard to reach the World Cup, and their fans deserve to be there to support them. This is not just unfair—it's cruel. May FIFA intervene and correct this injustice. 🙏
I'm not a big football fan, but even I can see this is wrong. If India's tickets were revoked like this, we'd be furious too. Sportsmanship and fairness should be above politics. The US is hosting the World Cup, and they should act like responsible hosts, not bullies. 👎
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