Luanda: The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) filed a formal complaint with FIFA on Friday regarding travel restrictions imposed on its national team in the United States during the 2026 World Cup. The most recent incident occurred before the match against Belgium, scheduled for Sunday. The FFIRI requested permission to travel from Mexico to Los Angeles two days in advance to ensure sufficient time for acclimatization and rest for the players, but the request was denied by US authorities.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the Iranian federation expressed its discontent in an official statement, highlighting that this situation had been repeated. Last week, before the match against New Zealand, the team was only allowed to travel the day before the game. "The Iranian Football Federation considers these restrictions incompatible with the principle of equal conditions for participating teams and may affect the technical preparation of the teams," the statement read, confirming the formal protest sent to FIFA.
Due to various logistical and diplomatic obstacles, which Iran attributes to the White House, the Iranian national team established its World Cup operations center in the Mexican city of Tijuana, near the border with the United States. Iranian authorities reported that fifteen players and several members of the coaching staff and management were denied entry into the United States.
Additionally, the Iranian Football Federation had already denounced, before the start of the tournament, that the United States revoked the tickets to which the federation was entitled, in an attempt to prevent the presence of Iranian fans in the stadiums. Even after the first game, two players were barred from leaving the stadium.
