2026 World Cup: Iran will file a complaint with FIFA due to the "restrictions" "imposed" on it.

Following statements by its coach describing his team as the "most oppressed in history", the Iranian Football Federation decided to file a complaint with FIFA due to the "restrictions" being "imposed" on it.

The Iranian Football Federation is furious about the treatment they have received. After their opening match against New Zealand (2-2), some members of the Iranian football delegation complained about the conditions the team is facing at this World Cup. Coach Amir Ghalenoei had declared that his team was the "most oppressed in history."

The Iranian Football Federation has announced its intention to file a complaint with FIFA due to the restrictions imposed on its team during the World Cup. According to the Federation, the team cannot approach its upcoming match against Belgium with confidence under these conditions, a national team official stated on Thursday.

Restrictions "contrary to the principle of equality"

Already stung by the United States' refusal to issue visas to some members of its staff for the tournament, the team is now complaining about only being allowed to arrive in Los Angeles "one day before the match" scheduled for Sunday in that same city, instead of two as it requested.

These restrictions "contradict the principle of equal conditions for all participating teams and risk harming preparation," the official argued in a statement. "Therefore, the federation will officially express its dissatisfaction and file a formal complaint with FIFA through the appropriate channels," he added.

After months of uncertainty linked to the war in the Middle East, "Team Melli" is indeed participating in the tournament but has gone into exile at the last minute in Mexico, where it has set up its base camp in Tijuana rather than in Arizona, and has seen the United States refuse visas to about fifteen members of its delegation.

Different versions

Despite these difficulties, the technical staff established a program stipulating that the team "should arrive in each host city two days before each match and return to its base camp the day after the match, in order to ensure optimal technical and physical preparation," explained the Iranian official.

But for their match against New Zealand, the Iranian national team only arrived in Los Angeles the day before and had to leave immediately after the final whistle. Team Melli star Mehdi Taremi said the players only learned that day that they had to leave the United States.

These claims were refuted by Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House World Cup organizing committee, who stated that this had been the planned schedule for the Iranian team from the outset. "We clearly indicated that this was the procedure," he asserted. He emphasized: "The team will be allowed to enter the country the day before the match. They will be asked to leave the country after the match, that is, the same evening (...) in Los Angeles and Seattle," where Iran will play its final match against Egypt on June 26.

“The same situation is repeating itself today before Iran’s second match against Belgium,” the Iranian official lamented. The team had requested permission to arrive in Los Angeles as early as Friday to acclimatize for the match scheduled for Sunday at noon local time. But this “request has once again been rejected,” according to the statement.