Iran to File Complaint to Fifa Over World Cup Travel Restrictions

Iran’s World Cup campaign, already played under a cloud of geopolitics and security tension, has taken another sharp turn off the pitch. The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) will lodge an official complaint to Fifa over what it calls restrictive and unequal travel conditions imposed on the national team during the 2026 tournament in North America.

At the heart of the dispute is a simple but brutal timetable.

Under the terms of their US visas, Iran’s players and staff are allowed to enter the United States — co-host of the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico — only the day before each match on American soil. They must then leave the country on the same day the game is played.

For a World Cup side trying to prepare at elite level, that is a punishing schedule.

The impact was immediate. Iran’s opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles came after those restrictions were first applied, prompting head coach Amir Ghalenoei to describe his side as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.

The federation has now moved from frustration to formal action.

In a statement, the FFIRI said the travel rules are “inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams’ preparation processes”. It confirmed it will “formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with Fifa through the appropriate channels”.

This is not an isolated grievance. Iran’s very presence at this World Cup has been overshadowed by the war in the Middle East and the security concerns that come with it. The political backdrop has seeped into almost every logistical detail.

Multiple “integral” members of Iran’s backroom staff were denied US entry visas. On top of that, the FFIRI saw its ticket allocation revoked on the eve of the tournament, and publicly urged Fifa to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations”.

Tension has followed the team into the dressing room. Fifa president Gianni Infantino visited Iran’s players after the draw with New Zealand, a highly visible intervention at a moment when the squad and federation feel boxed in by forces far beyond football.

From the US side, officials insist nothing has been sprung on Iran.

“The Iranian national football team agreed to these terms,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the BBC when asked about Ghalenoei’s comments.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Fifa Task Force, echoed that stance in an interview with CBS News. He outlined the conditions bluntly: “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. And they’ll be able to do that again in Los Angeles.”

For Iran, that is precisely the problem.

The team had originally planned to base itself in Arizona, but amid the regional conflict and the tight visa conditions, they switched their World Cup headquarters to Tijuana in Mexico. From there, they must shuttle in and out of the US for their remaining group fixtures — both of which are on American soil.

Iran face Belgium in Los Angeles on 21 June (20:00 BST), then Egypt in Seattle on 27 June (04:00 BST). Two huge games. Two more rapid in-and-out trips.

The FFIRI says it requested what most elite teams would regard as a minimum preparation window. According to the federation, Iran “needed to arrive in each host city two days before every match and return to its base camp the day after the game in order to achieve optimal technical and physical preparation”.

That request was turned down for the opener against New Zealand. Iran say the same scenario is now unfolding before the Belgium match.

“Given that the game will be played at 12:00pm local time in Los Angeles, the Football Federation of Iran requested that the team be allowed to travel to Los Angeles two days before the match,” the FFIRI statement continued. The aim, it said, was to give players “sufficient time to adapt to the match conditions, complete their final training session, and finalise preparations”.

“Despite the technical reasons presented by the federation, the request was once again denied.”

All this is happening as the presidents of the United States and Iran have signed an initial peace deal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. On paper, diplomacy is edging forward. On the ground, Iran’s national team is still being moved around under the tightest of controls.

The complaint to Fifa now becomes more than a procedural note. It is a test of how far football’s governing body is willing — or able — to push for “equal conditions” when a World Cup collides head-on with geopolitics.

Iran still have a group to escape and a World Cup to play. The question is whether they can do it while living out of a suitcase, flying in under the clock, and flying out before the grass has cooled.