Iran's football federation has confirmed that its allocation of fan tickets for the FIFA World Cup group stage has been revoked, leaving supporters stranded just days before the tournament opens on Thursday.

The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) stated that, under FIFA regulations, each participating federation is entitled to 8 percent of the available tickets for each of their matches to distribute to fans. The federation had already begun selling those tickets before the allocation was withdrawn.

Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand on 15 June, Belgium on 21 June — both in Los Angeles — and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. Some supporters had already made travel arrangements when the tickets were pulled.