Iran's football federation has announced it will file a formal complaint with FIFA, alleging that restrictions on the team's movement within the United States are undermining its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

At the centre of the dispute is Iran's request to travel to Los Angeles two days before its Group Stage match against Belgium, scheduled for Sunday 21 June at noon local time. The federation says the request was denied, meaning the team will only be permitted to arrive one day before the game. Iran has based its tournament camp in Tijuana, a Mexican border city just south of San Diego, after a last-minute relocation from its originally planned base in Arizona — itself the result of US visa denials affecting around 15 members of the Iranian delegation. A federation spokesman said the team's technical staff had submitted its preparation schedule well in advance, with a plan to arrive in each host city two days before every match and return to Tijuana the day after. That arrangement, the spokesman said, was designed to give players adequate time to acclimatise, complete final training sessions, and finalise tactical preparations. "These restrictions contradict the principle of equal opportunity among all participating teams and may harm our preparations," the spokesman stated, adding that the federation would express its objections through official FIFA channels.

This is not the first time Iran has faced such difficulties during the tournament. Before its opening match — a 2–2 draw with New Zealand, also played in Los Angeles — the team was reportedly only permitted to arrive the evening before the game and was required to leave immediately after the final whistle. Iran's head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, said after that match that his side was "the most persecuted team at the World Cup."

The complaint reflects the broader tensions surrounding Iran's participation in the tournament. Relations between Iran and the United States have been severely strained for decades, and the backdrop of ongoing conflict in the Middle East added months of uncertainty before Iran's place in the competition was confirmed. The visa denials and travel limitations have drawn attention to the logistical and political complexities of hosting a global sporting event in a country that has no diplomatic relations with one of the competing nations. FIFA has not yet publicly responded to the complaint.