Iran to lodge complaint with FIFA over World Cup restrictions: team

• Iran says it will file a complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions during the 2026 World Cup.
• The Iranian Football Federation says organizers denied a request to travel early to Los Angeles ahead of its match against Belgium.

Iran’s national football team will lodge a complaint with FIFA, saying it is facing travel restrictions during the 2026 World Cup in North America, a spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation said on Thursday.

According to the federation, the restrictions have disrupted the team’s preparations despite officials submitting their tournament plans well in advance.

The Iranian team is based in Tijuana, Mexico, and is scheduled to face Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Federation officials said they requested permission for the squad to travel to Los Angeles two days before the match to allow players sufficient time to adapt to local conditions and complete final preparations.

"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 spokesperson said.

Concerns over match preparation
The federation said the early arrival was necessary because the match is scheduled to kick off at 12:00 p.m. local time in Los Angeles.

"The aim was to provide sufficient time for players to adapt to the match conditions, complete their final training session, and finalize preparations," the spokesperson said.

"Despite the technical reasons presented by the federation, the request was once again denied."

Iranian officials said they intend to raise the issue with FIFA, saying the restrictions could affect the team’s ability to prepare properly for one of its most important matches of the tournament.

Neither FIFA nor tournament organizers immediately commented on the federation’s statements.