Iran’s Soccer Team Says US Revoked Its Ticket Allocation Ahead of World Cup 

Iran’s soccer federation says that its ability to issue tickets for the World Cup has been revoked, just days before the start of the tournament — an announcement that comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s draconian border policies have posed hurdles for tournament participants from around the globe.

Under regulations set by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, each team receives 8 percent of the tickets for their matches to distribute or sell to their fans. But the Iranian team has found itself unable to issue even a single ticket to its supporters.

Iran’s soccer federation blamed the U.S. for this sudden restriction, saying in a statement, “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.”

Many Iranian soccer fans had already planned their travel in anticipation of attending the matches, the soccer federation noted.

“Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries,” the statement said.

“This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organization of the world’s biggest football event,” it continued.

The federation called on FIFA to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations.”

While it is unclear who made the decision to revoke the Iranian team’s ability to issue tickets, the U.S. has already created obstacles for Iran’s soccer team. For months, it was unclear if the team would be able to participate at all, as the U.S. and Israel’s unprovoked war against Iran has dragged on since February.

Iran’s soccer players only received their visas to play in the U.S. last week, just 10 days before the start of the tournament. But more than a dozen members of the team’s support staff had their visa applications rejected.

Iran is set to play three games in the U.S. later this month, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. The team had planned to stay in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, but decided to relocate to Tijuana, Mexico – due both to uncertainty over whether the team would be granted U.S. visas and the feeling that the team’s presence in the U.S. should be minimal.

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the Iranian soccer team will be allowed to enter the U.S. the day before each of its three World Cup matches – which they stated was thanks to the “generosity” of Trump, and better than the previously reported single-day visas.

In March, Trump said that the Iranian team should not stay in the U.S. during the World Cup “for their own life and safety.”

The U.S. has also harassed and denied entry to other participants in the World Cup. On Monday, the U.S. denied entry to Omar Artan, a referee from Somalia who was set to be the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup. Artan, one of just seven referees from the African continent chosen to participate in this summer’s tournament, and known last year as Africa’s top referee, had arrived in Miami after receiving a U.S. visa. He was subjected to an 11-hour interview by border officials before being denied entry, placed in a holding cell, and sent on a flight to Istanbul.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told The New York Times. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

Trump has demonized Somalis with white nationalist smears, calling them “garbage” and saying he doesn’t want them in the U.S.

Meanwhile, instead of protecting international participants, FIFA appears to be acquiescing to Trump.

In comments on Artan’s removal from the tournament, FIFA said that it is “not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications … in line with previous Fifa events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”

On Saturday, an Iraqi striker, Aymen Hussein, was detained and questioned by U.S. immigration officials at Chicago’s O’Hare airport for seven hours. The Iraqi team’s photographer was denied entry into the U.S.

Video footage has also shown Senegal and Uzbekistan’s soccer teams subjected to extensive individual security and body searches upon entry into the U.S.