Iran plan to submit an official complaint to FIFA after claiming they are facing travel-related restrictions during the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America.
According to Geo Super, a spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation said, the team’s preparations have been affected despite submitting their tournament plans well in advance.
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“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 organizers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans,” the spokesman said.
Iran are currently based in Tijuana, Mexico, and had requested permission to travel to Los Angeles two days before their Group G match against Belgium on Sunday.
The federation said the request was rejected, despite explaining the importance of arriving earlier to help players adjust to local conditions and complete their final preparations.
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“Given that the game will be played at 12:00 pm local time 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 spokesman explained.
“The aim was to provide sufficient time for players to adapt to the match conditions, complete their final training session, and finalize preparations.”
“Despite the technical reasons presented by the federation, the request was once again denied,” spokesman added.
Iran also expressed concerns over travel arrangements following their opening World Cup match against New Zealand, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
The federation said the team was required to leave Los Angeles on the same night as the game.
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However, the United States administration dismissed the allegations. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, stated that Iran had already been informed about the travel arrangements before the tournament.
Iran’s final Group B match is scheduled against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
