Iran coach says team is “most oppressed” and plans FIFA complaint over World Cup treatment

Iran's coach, Amir Ghalenoei, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the World Cup hosts, alleging unfair treatment and logistical hurdles that hampered his team's preparation. Despite a spirited draw against Egypt, which kept their knockout hopes alive, Ghalenoei highlighted issues with arrival times and travel, urging FIFA to prevent similar host-related problems in future tournaments. He also cited a mix of misfortune and off-field challenges impacting their campaign.

Iran football team faces 'oppressed' travel conditions in US during World Cup

Iran has been given strict windows for when it can be in the United States for its first two World Cup games.

Tehran: The Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) has expressed disappointment over the travel restrictions imposed on the team by the co-hosts USA during the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 and has decided to lodge an official complaint to the governing body, FIFA, on the following matter. Iran players are only allowed to fly into the USA a day before they have a game and have to leave the country on the same day as a match under the conditions of their visas, which could be a big hurdle in their preparation for Sunday's clash against a tough side, Belgium.In a statement released on Friday, the federation said: “The football federation of Iran believes that such restrictions are inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams’ preparation processes.“Consequently, the federation will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with Fifa through the appropriate channels. Despite these limitations, Iran’s national team will continue its preparation programme and remain fully focused on its upcoming match against Belgium,” the statement added.Earlier, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said that they are the 'most oppressed' team at the tournament following a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles in their opening game.Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ghalenoei said his team had been suddenly informed that it had to return to Mexico immediately after the match in Los Angeles."After the game they said to us, 'You have to leave immediately. We've been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that," Ghalenoei told reporters in the post-match press conference."They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we're not going to let that stop us from doing our best," he added.Bombay Gymkhana Celebrates 151st Founders' Day With Naval Band, Bell Ritual, And Flag Unfurling CeremonyThe coach also claimed Iran had faced several difficulties during their preparation for the tournament."We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game, but they didn't permit [it]. We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return at lunchtime. I think our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. Our federation isn't here, our media isn't here, our management isn't here," he said.Iran's involvement in the World Cup has been marred by uncertainty, linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)

US authorities require them to enter within 24 hours of a match and leave the same day, leading team coach Amir Ghalenoei to say Iran were the "most oppressed" team in the tournament.

Iran's head coach has said his team is the "most oppressed" at the 2026 World Cup.