Iran's ticket quota for supporters was withdrawn just before the tournament begins Thursday, leaving fans unable to attend matches in North America.
5:07 PM
FIFA has revoked Iran's ticket allocation for the 2026 World Cup, which begins Thursday in Canada, Mexico and the United States, according to statements from the Iranian Football Federation and reports on Tuesday.
The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) said FIFA regulations typically allocate 8% of tickets for each match to the relevant federation for distribution to supporters. The federation stated it had already begun selling tickets to Iranian fans before the allocation was withdrawn.
Iran is scheduled to play New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, both in Los Angeles, before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The FFIRI said many Iranian football fans had already finalized travel plans based on the official ticket allocation process announced by FIFA.
"This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches," the FFIRI said in a statement. The federation added that supporters who had completed travel arrangements are now unable to attend matches supporting their national team.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom said the organization is working to "maximise opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches" following the revocation. Grafstrom stated he held a "positive discussion" with FFIRI President Mehdi Taj after Iran's team arrived at their tournament base in Mexico.
"With the team now in Mexico, FIFA will continue dialogue and collaboration with the FFIRI to ensure the team and the delegation's experience is a positive one," Grafstrom said in a statement.
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