FIFA World Cup: Iran to lodge protest with FIFA over travel restrictions

4 min readUpdated: Jun 19, 2026 06:29 PM IST

Iran players pose for a team group photograph before their 2026 FIFA World Cup opening game against New Zealand, which ended in a 2-2 draw. (Reuters Photo)

While Iran made a confident start in the FIFA World Cup with a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in the Group G encounter at Los Angeles earlier this week, the Mehdi Taremi led team had to leave Los Angeles within three hours after the match to head to their training base in Mexico. With the USA government imposing travel restrictions on the Iranian team, it means that the Asian nation’s team has to travel back to Mexico post their matches in the World Cup. With Iran set to face Belgium in their next group match at Los Angeles on Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation has stated that they will lodge an official complaint with FIFA, the world governing body of football, ahead of their match against Belgium on Sunday.

“The football federation of Iran believes that such restrictions are inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams’ preparation processes. Consequently, the federation will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with FIFA through the appropriate channels. Despite these limitations, Iran’s national team will continue its preparation programme and remain fully focused on its upcoming match against Belgium,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation said in a. Statement on Friday.

Amid the Iran-USA war, the participation of the Iran football team was not certain earlier. The team got the visa only ten days prior to the FIFA World Cup after talks between FIFA and US government and the Amir Ghalenoei coached led team arrived in Tijuana in Mexico for the World Cup. Iran played their first game in the World Cup against New Zealand and the team had arrived in the city a day prior to the match. Post the match on Monday, the Iran team was supposed to spend the night in Los Angeles but the team was informed that they have to fly back to Mexico the same night with the team cancelling their recovery sessions. Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei later lashed out at FIFA for the treatment meted out to the team.  “After the game today they said to us: ‘You have to leave immediately.’ Whereas it’s very important for us to have recovery. We’ve been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that. They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best. We don’t know why they’re returning us. It’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the ­planning for us … We were ­supposed to arrive two nights before the game but they didn’t permit (it). We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return tomorrow lunchtime. Our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. Our federation isn’t here, our media isn’t here, our management isn’t here,” Ghalenoei  said after the match.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had visited the team’s dressing room post the match and addressed the Iranian team. “I know what you go through, I understand. But you are stronger than everything, and you send a strong message to the entire world,” Infantino had told the team.