Iran FA says their World Cup ticket allocation has been revoked

Iran‘s football federation FFI has said that its ticket allocation for the World Cup group stage matches in the United States has been revoked and called on the governing body FIFA to intervene.

The ISNA news agency quoted an FFI statement as saying that the US has taken steps to deny the presence of Iran fans at their matches in Los Angeles against new Zealand and Belgium and in Seattle against Egypt.

Under FIFA and tournament rules each federation gets 8% of the tickets for a match at the World Cup its team plays in. The World Cup starts on Thursday.

The FFI said that based on the 8% rule fans had started preparing going to the World Cup which they now had to cancel. It said it hopes that FIFA can help it make use of the allocated contingent after all.

Iran is among several nations whose citizens are denied entry into the US since the start of Donald Trump’s second term as US president. Iran and the US are also in a military conflict since February.

Iran’s team has moved its base camp from the US to co-hosts Mexico. The team can travel to and from its matches only on game-day. Several Iran delegation members have not been granted US visas.