Iran says ticket allocation withdrawn days before World Cup, Somali referee denied entry to US

By Aadi Nair and Kristina Cooke

Iran’s football federation said on Tuesday its ticket allocation had been pulled just days before the World Cup starts, leaving supporters who had already made travel plans unable to attend their team’s matches.

The World Cup begins with the opening match between co-hosts Mexico and Bafana Bafana at Estadio Azteca on Thursday (1pm in Mexico City, 9pm SA time). Iran play their first two Group G games in Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, and then facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

In a statement, the Iranian federation said it had already begun the ticket sales process for the matches but could no longer provide them to fans.

“This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches,” the FFIRI said.

“Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.

“This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organization of the world’s biggest football event.”

Each participating federation at the World Cup receives 8% of the tickets for each of their matches to be allocated to fans according to their own criteria.

The FFIRI did not say who had made the decision to withhold the tickets but urged FIFA, soccer’s governing body, to adhere to “the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations” and called on it to prevent off-field issues from casting a shadow over the tournament.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been clouded by uncertainty since the US and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, triggering a regional conflict.

The FFIRI negotiated to move the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico, due to uncertainty over whether they would be granted US visas and a growing feeling in Iran that the squad’s presence in the US should be kept to a minimum.

After weeks of uncertainty, the US awarded visas to all the players last week — 10 days before their first match — but several members of staff did not receive them.

A US official told Reuters on Friday the administration had issued “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup”.

FIFA said earlier on Tuesday that Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom had held a “positive discussion” with FFIRI President Mehdi Taj after the team arrived at their tournament base.

“With the team now in Mexico, FIFA will continue dialogue and collaboration with the FFIRI to ensure the team and the delegation’s experience is a positive one,” Grafstrom said in a statement.

There have been numerous other issues regarding players and officials struggling to obtain US visas to travel to the World Cup.

The US denied entry over the weekend to soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been expected to be the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup match.

A FIFA spokesperson said on Monday Artan will not be able to train and officiate at the World Cup after he was not allowed to enter the US.

Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection

—  US Customs and Border Protection

“FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present,” the spokesperson said.

The US Customs and Border Protection, without naming him, said in a statement a Somali national arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday and was deemed inadmissible due to vetting concerns.

The agency did not elaborate on those concerns, but said the referee underwent routine additional inspection before being denied entry.

“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” the CBP said.

The Trump administration’s strict immigration policies have been a point of concern ahead of the World Cup. Last year, Washington imposed a sweeping travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football’s Best Male Referee for 2025, had a valid visa, according to media reports. Somalia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.