Iran lodge FIFA complaint after travel restrictions deny two-day pre-match preparation window

Iran’s Football Federation has issued a statement confirming it will lodge a formal complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions that are limiting the national team’s preparation time at the 2026 World Cup.

The dispute centres on the United States government’s policy of permitting Iran to enter the country only one day before each match and requiring the delegation to depart on the evening of the game itself. Ahead of their group-stage clash with Belgium in Los Angeles, Iran requested permission to arrive two days early to allow players to adapt to a noon kick-off and complete a full final training session. That request was denied.

In their statement, the Football Federation of Iran said: “Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national football team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organisers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans.”

A federation spokesperson elaborated: “Given that the game will be played at noon 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 aim was to provide sufficient time for players 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.”

The restrictions were outlined publicly by Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, who confirmed Iran would follow a match-day-minus-one arrival and same-evening departure protocol for all group games in the United States — in Los Angeles and Seattle — with the same conditions applying if the team advances to the knockout rounds.

The tension has been building since before Iran’s tournament opener. Several members of the Iranian delegation had their visas rejected ahead of their 2-2 draw with New Zealand, and the team’s base was relocated to Mexico prior to the competition. FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited the Iran dressing room after the New Zealand match in an apparent attempt to ease frustrations, but the gesture did little to calm the situation.

Iran manager Amir Ghalenoei had already publicly criticised FIFA and tournament organisers after the team was required to leave the United States immediately following that opening fixture. The complaint to FIFA marks a formal escalation of a dispute that has cast a shadow over Iran’s participation in the tournament.