WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jamal Abdi, President of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), issued the following statement regarding restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on Iran’s national football team, delegation, and supporters ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
“The Trump administration’s petty treatment of the Iranian national team and its fans in the World Cup are not the actions of the leader of the free world, but resemble those of a petty, insecure and vindictive tyrant.
“Iran’s players earned their place at this tournament as one of the top teams from Asia. Yet they are being subjected to restrictions that no other participating nation faces that are unprecedented on the global stage. Their ability to train in the country where they will play their games has been denied, key members of their delegation have been denied visas, fans have lost access to tickets without explanation. Some reports indicate that the Iranian team will not even be able to sleep in the United States, but forced to shuttle back and forth between a separate host in Mexico, a radical formulation that rebels against the very notion of the U.S. acting as a ‘host.’
“It’s hard to boil this unfair and discriminatory treatment down to just the war that Trump launched on Iran ten weeks ago. The fact is that the Trump administration has consistently pursued new and creative ways to be vindictive toward Iranians, starting with its travel ban and ICE targeting of Iranians and continuing through these mid-war restrictions on the Iranian national team and its fans. It is discriminatory, it is contrary to the spirit of international sport, and it sends a disturbing message that Iranian athletes and supporters should be treated differently from everyone else based on their national heritage.
“At this stage we don’t expect the Trump administration to treat Iranians fairly because it is the right thing to do. We would hope that they’d be too ashamed with the spotlight on the United States to engage in such outrageous, discriminatory and self-defeating behavior. Yet apparently the administration values its inhumane treatment of Iranians and other immigrant communities more than they value the reputation of the United States and our proud traditions. This is a shame.
“NIAC calls on FIFA to use its considerable leverage to ensure that all participating nations receive equal treatment and that barriers affecting Iran’s delegation and supporters are addressed immediately. We also urge U.S. authorities to facilitate, rather than obstruct, the participation of all athletes, officials, and fans traveling for the tournament. The World Cup should be remembered for the football played on the field, not for the political obstacles imposed around it.”
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