The Iranian soccer federation on Tuesday said that FIFA “revoked the ticket allocation for fans at the team’s three group-stage games” in the U.S., according to Graham Dunbar of the AP. Each federation for the 48 teams taking part is entitled to receive and distribute 8% of stadium capacity for each of its games at the World Cup. But with Iran set for its opener on Monday, the federation in a statement said that it was “now unable to provide any tickets to its supporters.” Dunbar notes the claim ”adds to the tensions" between Iran, FIFA and the U.S., which began military attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. FIFA has “total authority over ticketing operations” at the World Cup. However, the Iranian soccer federation in a statement said, “This incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organization of the world’s biggest football event.” FIFA in a statement said that it is “working closely with the IR Iran Football Federation to identify compliant solutions that maximize opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches.” Dunbar notes it was “unclear Tuesday how many tickets in Iran’s allocation were sold” (AP, 6/9). In London, Martyn Ziegler writes FIFA “confirmed that it had cancelled Iran’s fan allocation and the tickets will now go on general sale.” As Iran has been sanctioned by the U.S., “no financial transactions from within Iran to Fifa 2026, which is registered in the US, are permitted” (London TIMES, 6/9).
Iran says FIFA revoked World Cup tickets allocation
