Iranian political scientist files $1 billion lawsuit against Fifa over Iran’s World Cup exit
He claims they were emotionally scarred by Fifa's treatment of the Iranian team.
An Iranian political scientist has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Fifa, its president, Gianni Infantino, and unnamed Fifa officials, alleging that Iran's national team was subjected to discrimination during the 2026 Fifa World Cup and unfairly eliminated from the tournament.
According to court documents cited by The Independent, Lotfolah Kaveh Afrasiabi filed the civil complaint in a federal court in Boston on 30 June, seeking class-action status on behalf of up to 91 million Iranian nationals and Iranian-Americans.
He claims they were emotionally scarred by Fifa's treatment of the Iranian team. The lawsuit focuses on Iran's controversial 1-1 draw against Egypt national football team on 26 June, when a late goal by defender Shoja Khalilzadeh was disallowed following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review for offside.
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Afrasiabi argues the decision was erroneous and was deliberately designed to deprive Iran of victory, allowing Egypt to progress to the knockout stage while Iran exited the competition. The complaint accuses Fifa of applying a double standard, hypocrisy and outright discrimination toward the Iranian national team. Speaking to The Independent, Afrasiabi described the $1 billion damages claim as very generous, adding that a jury could decide Fifa's conduct justified an even larger award. He said part of any compensation would be allocated to youth sports programmes in Iran.
The lawsuit also revives concerns previously raised by the Iranian Football Federation during the tournament. The federation had announced plans to file a formal complaint with Fifa, alleging that travel restrictions, visa denials and logistical limitations compromised the team's preparations and violated the principle of equal treatment.
Iranian officials said around 15 members of the delegation were denied US visas, forcing the team to relocate its planned training camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. They also claimed Iran was not allowed to follow its preferred travel schedule and was required to leave the United States immediately after matches, disrupting recovery and preparation.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei previously described Iran as the most persecuted team in the whole World Cup, arguing the restrictions placed his side at a significant competitive disadvantage. Afrasiabi's complaint further alleges Fifa failed to uphold its own principles of fairness and equal treatment, claiming the disputed VAR decision, combined with the tournament restrictions, created a traumatic experience of victimization for Iranian supporters.
According to The Independent, Afrasiabi, who was previously charged in the United States with acting as an unregistered agent for Iran before later receiving a presidential pardon as part of a US-Iran prisoner exchange, now has 60 days to formally serve Fifa with the lawsuit. At the time of publication, Fifa had acknowledged receiving requests for comment but had not publicly responded to the lawsuit or the allegations.
