Iran Football Association Claims World Cup Ticket Allocation Revoked Days Before Tournament Start

The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, with Iran's first two Group G fixtures taking place in Los Angeles, against New Zealand on 15 June

and Belgium on 21 June, followed by a match against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

In a statement, the Iranian federation said it had commenced the ticket sales process for the matches but was no longer able to supply them to supporters.

"This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary arrangements to attend the matches," the FFIRI added in a statement.

"Preventing Iranian supporters from accessing their lawful and official ticket allocation is an action contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating nations.

"This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organisation of the world's biggest football event."

Each participating federation at the World Cup receives eight per cent of the tickets for each of their matches to distribute to fans according to their own criteria.

'Principles of Neutrality'

The FFIRI did not specify who had made the decision to withhold the tickets but urged FIFA, football's governing body, to adhere to "the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations" and called on it to prevent off-field issues from overshadowing the tournament.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran's participation in the World Cup has been overshadowed by uncertainty since the US and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, triggering a regional conflict.

The FFIRI negotiated to move the team's base camp from Arizona to Mexico, due to doubts over whether they would receive US visas and a growing sentiment in Iran that the squad's presence in the US should be kept to a minimum.

After weeks of uncertainty, the US awarded visas to all players last week, ten days before their first match, but several staff members did not receive theirs.

A US official told Reuters on Friday that the administration had issued "the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup".

FIFA said earlier on Tuesday that Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom had held a "positive discussion" with FFIRI President Mehdi Taj after the team arrived at their tournament base.

"With the team now in Mexico, FIFA will continue dialogue and collaboration with the FFIRI to ensure the team and the delegation's experience is a positive one," Grafstrom said in a statement.