Iran to lodge complaint over travel restrictions

Iran are to lodge an official complaint to Fifa about the travel restrictions they are facing at the 2026 World Cup.

Iran are allowed to fly into the United States, who are co-hosts along with Canada and Mexico, 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.

This led to head coach Amir Ghalenoei saying they are the "most oppressed" team at the tournament following a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles in their opening game.

In a statement, the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) said the travel restrictions they face are "inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams' preparation processes".

It added: "Consequently, the federation will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with Fifa through the appropriate channels."

Iran's involvement in the World Cup has been plagued with uncertainty, linked to the war in the Middle East and related security concerns.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino visited the Iran team in the dressing room following the game against New Zealand as tensions continue.

Multiple "integral" members of their backroom staff were denied entry visas for the US while the FFIRI called on Fifa to "uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations" after their allocation of tickets was revoked on the eve of the tournament.

"The Iranian national football team agreed to these terms," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the BBC when asked for a response to Ghalenoei's comments.

Iran, who switched their base for the World Cup from Arizona in the US to Tijuana in Mexico amid the conflict in the Middle East, have two group games remaining and both are in the US.

They face Belgium in Los Angeles on 21 June (20:00 BST) and Egypt in Seattle on 27 June (04:00 BST).

Iran said they "needed to arrive in each host city two days before every match and return to its base camp the day after the game in order to achieve optimal technical and physical preparation" but "this request was not approved" for their game against New Zealand.

"The same situation has now been repeated ahead of Iran's second match against Belgium," added the FFIRI.

"Given that the game will be played at 12:00pm 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 aim was to provide sufficient time for players to adapt to the match conditions, complete their final training session, and finalise preparations.