Iran’s World Cup campaign has been clouded by uncertainty, tied to the conflict in the Middle East and associated security issues.
As tensions persist, Fifa president Gianni Infantino visited the Iran squad in their dressing room after the match against New Zealand.
Several “key” members of the backroom staff were refused US entry visas, while the FFIRI urged Fifa to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations” after their ticket allocation was withdrawn on the eve of the tournament.
“The Iranian national football team agreed to these conditions,” a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told the BBC in response to Iran’s plan to file a complaint.
Amid the regional conflict, Iran moved its World Cup base from Arizona in the US to Tijuana in Mexico, and it has two remaining group matches—both in the US.
They face Belgium in Los Angeles on 21 June (20:00 BST) and Egypt in Seattle on 27 June (04:00 BST).
Iran said it “needed to arrive in each host city two days before every match and return to its base camp the day after the game to achieve optimal technical and physical preparation,” but “this request was not approved” for the New Zealand fixture.
“The same situation has now been repeated ahead of Iran’s second match against Belgium,” the FFIRI added.
“With the match scheduled for 12:00 local time in Los Angeles, the Football Federation of Iran asked that the team be allowed to travel to Los Angeles two days before the game.
“The goal was to give players adequate time to adapt to conditions, complete their final training session, and finalise preparations.
“Despite the technical rationale presented by the federation, the request was again denied.”
The presidents of the US and Iran have signed an initial peace deal aimed at ending the war, but the DHS said Iran understood the stipulations it would face for its matches.
“The team will be allowed to come in on matchday minus one—the day before the match,” said a DHS spokesperson.
“They’ll be asked to leave the evening the match concludes. They’ll be able to do that in Los Angeles and in Seattle, and if they qualify for the next round, the round of 32, the same will apply.”