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Gianni Infantino a giant phony over alleged decision to revoke Iran fans’ World Cup ticket allocation
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- Gianni Infantino a giant phony over alleged decision to revoke Iran fans’ World Cup ticket allocation
Gianni Infantino a giant phony over alleged decision to revoke Iran fans' World Cup ticket allocation appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The 2026 FIFA World Cup fever is on with a record 48 teams participating this year. A jump from the regular 32-team tournament, this year's World Cup is set to take place in the USA, Canada , and Mexico from Jun. 11, 2026. However, with the recent war between the USA and Iran and the Donald Trump administration in charge, fans and players entering the country are having to undergo extra security checks.
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With the recent surprising security checks conducted on the Senegal and Uzbekistan teams , fans were also recently made aware of Somalia referee Omar Artan getting denied entry into the USA for the World Cup. Iraq's striker Aymen Hussein was also held at the airport and questioned for nearly seven hours. And now, reports have emerged that FIFA has revoked the ticket allocation for Iran ian fans at their team's three World Cup games taking place in the United States.
A total of 8% of each stadium's capacity is made available to the 48 participating nations for distribution, providing them with thousands of tickets for each World Cup match. As per a report from a semi-official state media, the Iranian football federation stated that they could no longer offer tickets to their fans, just days before their World Cup match against New Zealand on Jun. 15, 2026, which is set to be held at the Los Angeles Rams' stadium in Inglewood.
The claims now add to the already existing tension between Iran and the USA, which reached its peak when both countries went to war on Feb. 28, 2026. While previously said to be based in Arizona, USA, Iran's team was moved from the USA to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.
The recent ticket allocation allegations made by the Iranian federation directly contradict FIFA President Gianni Infantino's 2017 statements, where he claimed that all fans must have access to the tournament. "It's obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions as well [that] any team, including the supporters and the officials of that team, who would qualify for a World Cup, need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup. That is obvious," Infantino said in 2017. (via ESPN)
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Is Infantino a giant phony for this decision against Iran's favor? If the claims made by the Iranian soccer federation are true, then Infantino could be labeled a phony. However, as of now, no other official confirmation has emerged regarding FIFA revoking World Cup ticket allocations for fans in Iran.
Almost nine years ago, Infantino was in favor of every fan getting access to a World Cup ticket, but what has changed since then? The U.S. government has imposed a travel ban on Iranian residents since last year, making it unlikely that they would obtain a visa for the World Cup. In the past few months, Infantino and Trump have also grown their bond for the smooth execution of the World Cup in North America, but are these the reasons for FIFA allegedly revoking Iran's ticket allocation?
Apart from these claims, several Iran federation officials have also been denied visas to enter the USA as Iran plays Belgium in Inglewood on Jun. 21 and then Egypt in Seattle on Jun. 26, 2026.
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Related: 2026 World Cup Group L predictions: Is football finally coming home to England?
