Iran’s ticket allocation for the upcoming World Cup has been withdrawn a week before its opening game, the country’s soccer federation (FFIRI) said in a statement Tuesday, via state media.
Under regulations set out by FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, roughly eight percent of the tickets to every World Cup match were reserved for each team competing in it so that national federations could sell them to their fans.
Iran is scheduled to play all three of its group games in the United States later this month, facing New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, and Egypt in Seattle. Iranian public support for the national team cuts through social, regional and political faultlines, making it a powerful uniting force.
However, the FFIRI said Tuesday that its ticket allocation had been withdrawn, “and under current circumstances the federation is unable to provide even a single ticket to supporters of the national team.” It did not specify who pulled the allocation.
“This comes despite the fact that many Iranian football fans had already made travel and attendance plans based on the officially announced process,” it added.
CNN has contacted FIFA for comment. Iran’s soccer team touched down in Mexico’s northwestern city of Tijuana on Sunday – right next to the US border – as Tehran criticized Washington over its visa restrictions for the team, which will limit the time the team spends in the US.
This is the first time since the World Cup’s inception in 1930 in which a host nation will receive a country it is actively at war with, according to Reuters.
