Iran are to lodge an official complaint with Fifa over travel restrictions that force their team to fly into the United States only a day before each match and leave the country on the evening of the game – a policy head coach Amir Ghalenoei has branded the mark of the “most oppressed” team at the 2026 World Cup.
The Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) confirmed on Friday it will formally express its dissatisfaction after being denied permission to arrive in Los Angeles two days ahead of Sunday’s crucial Group G clash against Belgium, a midday kick-off local time. “Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organisers,” the federation said in a statement, adding that the constraints “may negatively affect teams’ preparation processes”.
“Iran to complain to Fifa after being forced to arrive in US only one day before World Cup matches and leave the same evening.”
The conditions, confirmed by Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, mean Iran are permitted to enter the US on “match day minus one” and must leave “the evening of the match” – a policy that will apply for all their group games and, if they progress, the round of 32. For the Belgium match, that leaves Iran travelling from their base in Tijuana, Mexico, to Los Angeles International airport on Saturday, with no time for a full recovery session or final training on the day before the game.
Captain Mehdi Taremi described the logistical ordeal as a “disaster”, adding to the frustration of a team already dealing with multiple backroom staff denied US visas and their allocation of tickets revoked on the eve of the tournament. The off-field tension, linked to the war in the Middle East, forced Iran to relocate their World Cup base from Arizona to Tijuana before the competition.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino visited the Iran dressing room after their opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles, but the gesture did little to ease the anger. “The Iranian national football team agreed to these terms,” a US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the BBC when asked about Ghalenoei’s comments. The FFIRI, however, argues that the restrictions are “inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams” and has called on Fifa to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations”.
Iran now face Belgium on 21 June and Egypt on 27 June, both in the US, with their preparation time limited to less than 24 hours in each host city. Whether Fifa will intervene remains unclear, but the federation’s complaint – lodged “through the appropriate channels” – sets up a high-stakes confrontation between football’s governing body and a nation already battling political headwinds off the pitch.