FIFA Ticket Allocation Withdrawn for Iranian Fans, Federation Alleges
The Iranian Football Federation has claimed that FIFA has revoked the ticket allocation for their supporters for all three of Iran’s World Cup matches scheduled to take place in the United States this summer. This development adds another layer of tension to the ongoing dispute between Iranian soccer authorities, FIFA, and the tournament’s co-host, the US.
Typically, each of the 48 participating federations is allocated eight percent of stadium capacity for every game, which translates to thousands of tickets. However, just days before Iran’s opening match against New Zealand on June 15 at the 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the federation stated that it would be unable to provide any tickets to its fans.
Political Interference Alleged
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Iranian soccer body suggested that the United States has actively sought to prevent Iranian supporters from attending the matches. ‘This incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organization of the world’s biggest football event,’ the federation remarked.
Adding to the challenges, several Iranian federation officials have reportedly been denied visas to enter the US. The Iranian national team has also relocated its pre-tournament training camp from Tucson, Arizona, to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.
Unprecedented Ticket Withdrawal
Federations usually distribute their ticket allocations to their most dedicated fans. However, the Iranian federation expressed its dismay at the “unexpected move” to withdraw its granted allocation, leaving them in a position where they “is unable to offer even a single ticket to national team supporters.”
The US has had a travel ban in place for Iranian residents since last year, making it unlikely for many citizens to obtain entry visas for the World Cup. It remains unclear how many tickets from the withdrawn allocation had already been sold to Iran’s diaspora communities in the US and elsewhere since the tournament draw in December.
If the tickets were indeed revoked, FIFA would face a significant challenge in reselling approximately 5,600 tickets for the Iran-New Zealand match in just a few days. Ticket sales data for the event showed a substantial number of field-level seats available at $450 each.
FIFA’s Stance on Fan Access
These events unfold against a backdrop of past statements from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In 2017, when discussing the joint US, Canada, and Mexico bid for the tournament, Infantino emphasized the importance of fan access. ‘It’s obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions as well (that) any team, including the supporters and the officials of that team, who would qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup,’ he stated at the time.
Iran is participating in its seventh men’s World Cup. The team is also scheduled to play Belgium in Inglewood on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
