Iran’s federation plans FIFA complaint over World Cup US travel restrictions

Iran announced over the weekend they would be making a complaint with FIFA about the requirements, with manager Amir Ghalenoei saying Iran are "the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup."

Iran's squad has complained about the travel restrictions levied on the team, and the challenges it has faced since the outbreak of war.

Iran criticises World Cup organisers over travel restrictions Iranian football federation secretary-general Hedayat Mombeyni has criticised World Cup organisers after Iran's request to enter the United States two days before its match against Belgium was reportedly rejected. Iran, which is based in Mexico during the tournament, had sought an earlier arrival in Los Angeles ahead of Sunday's midday kick-off but said the request was turned down. "This is a major international tournament. This sort of breaking of our rules and our agreements, in my opinion, calls football itself into question," Mombeyni told reporters at the team's training base in Tijuana. US officials rejected the criticism, with White House Fifa Task Force chief Andrew Giuliani saying Iran had been informed in advance that its squad would only be permitted to enter the United States on the day before its matches.  Ramin Rezaeian celebrates Iran’s second goal with teammates during the Fifa World Cup 2026 in California, 15 June 2026 (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images via AFP)

TIJUANA, Mexico(AFP)—Iran's treatment at the World Cup in North America is a "dark point" in the history of the competition, a leading Iranian football official said Friday. Hedayat Mombeyni, the secretary general of the Iranian football federation, was speaking to reporters the day after his organisation said it would lodge a complaint with FIFA, claiming the team was being subjected to travel restrictions that were jeopardising its performance. "This is a major international tournament. This sort of breaking of our rules and our agreements, in my opinion, calls football itself into question," Mombeyni told reporters at the team's training base in Tijuana, Mexico. "I believe this will mark a dark point in the World Cup's recent history," Mombeyni added. Iran wanted to fly to the United States two days before their next match, against Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday, because the match kicks off at midday local time. Iran's Belgian opponents were flying to California on Friday, two days before the game. But the Iranian federation said its request to follow suit was turned down. The US administration, which has just signed an interim deal to end its conflict with Iran, has pushed back against the Iranian claims. Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Iran had been informed in advance that they would only be allowed to enter the United States on the day before its games. "The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match," Giuliani told CBS News on Monday. FIFA's rules for World Cups say teams should travel from their bases to the match venue on the day before a game, but can travel two days before "in exceptional cases". Mombeyni hit out at the US organizers. "Rules must be followed. Seems to me that (Giuliani) should have studied the rules much sooner. And people who are not capable of carrying out FIFA's rules should not be hosting, and FIFA should not select them to be hosts," he said. "In my opinion, he should have studied the rules sooner, checked with people from Team Melli of Iran, and he shouldn't have created these problems." The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, is the first in history in which a host nation must host on its soil the team of a nation it is at war with.

The Iranian Football Federation announced on Friday its intention to submit a formal complaint to FIFA, protesting the restrictions imposed on the movement of Iran’s national team within the United States during its participation in the 2026 World Cup. The Iran will play its matches in the tournament while based in Mexico, one of the […] By Alaa Shamali

The Iran team is traveling between its base camp in Mexico to games in the United States.