The sudden decision leaves thousands of Iranian fans stranded, despite the national team and support staff already landing in Mexico on Sunday to finalize their tournament preparations.

Under FIFA regulations, participating federations are entitled to an 8 percent ticket allocation per match for official distribution to their supporters.

The FFIRI confirmed it had already begun selling these quotas for group stage matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt—all scheduled to be played on US soil.

“With less than three days remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup … the United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team’s three group stage matches,” FFIRI said in a statement today.

“However, in an unexpected move, the allocation granted to the Iranian Football Federation has been withdrawn, and under the current circumstances, the federation is unable to provide even a single ticket to supporters of the national team,” it said.

The ticket cancellation marks a severe escalation in bureaucratic hurdles faced by the Iranian delegation.

Tensions have remained critically high since a February 28 attack on Iran, leaving the two nations effectively at war.

Tehran previously revealed that Washington refused to issue visas for approximately 15 administrative and management staff members, severely disrupting the federation's logistics.

The security and political friction already forced Iran to abandon its original training base in Tucson, Arizona. The delegation redirected its camp to the Mexican border city of Tijuana instead.

FFIRI described the move as “contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries”.

The federation added a direct plea to football's global governing body, calling on FIFA and tournament organisers “to uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations, to provide the necessary conditions for Iranian supporters”.

Neither FIFA nor US tournament organizers have issued a public response to the Iranian federation's accusations.

Iran is scheduled to open its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by Belgium in the same city on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.