BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 19. Iran’s national football team is preparing to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions affecting their participation in the 2026 World Cup in North America.
TurkicWorld reports that according to a spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation, despite submitting their preparation schedule well in advance, the team has faced restrictions imposed by the tournament organisers. These restrictions have reportedly affected the ability of technical staff to execute planned training and logistical arrangements.
The issue arose when Iran requested to fly from its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to Los Angeles two days before their next group match against Belgium on Sunday. The federation claims that this travel request was denied, prompting them to escalate the matter to FIFA for resolution.
The complaint highlights ongoing concerns among national teams regarding logistics, scheduling, and travel arrangements in the expanded 2026 tournament, which will be hosted across multiple North American cities.
