Iran’s football federation has announced it will lodge a formal complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions imposed on the national team during the 2026 World Cup, saying the conditions undermine the principle of equal treatment for all participating nations.
Due to ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States and uncertainty over visas, the Iranian squad has been based in co-host Mexico and is required to commute to the US for each of their three group matches. American authorities have stipulated that the team may only enter the country within 24 hours of a match and must depart on the same day.
“The Football Federation of Iran believes these restrictions are inconsistent with the principles of providing equal conditions for participating teams and may affect their technical preparation,” the federation said in a statement.
The federation added that its original request to travel to the host city two days before each fixture, and return the day after, had been denied for the opening match against New Zealand — a game Iran drew 2-2 on the day. Coach Amir Ghalenoei has described his side as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament, saying the disruption directly affected their performance.
The US Department of Homeland Security defended the measures, describing them as safety precautions agreed with Iran. “The team will be allowed to come in match day minus one, so the day before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match,” a department spokesperson said. “A lot of that is making sure that things are safe and secure, not just around the stadiums, but around base camps and training sites.”
FIFA did not respond to requests for comment. Iran face Belgium on 21 June in Los Angeles before concluding their Group G fixtures against Egypt on 27 June in Seattle.
