It has also been alleged that authorities used excessive force in preventing women from entering the Imam Reza Stadium in Mashhad.

Video on social media appeared to show tear gas being used to disperse the crowd of women.

Iranian news agencies reported that roughly 2,000 women had bought tickets to watch the qualifier versus Lebanon on March 29.

"We formally request that FIFA immediately suspend Iran and prohibit its participation in the World Cup 2022, as long as the Football Federation of Iran continues to violate the Olympic Charter and FIFA regulations," United for Navid, a group of exiled Iranian athletes and activists which was established following the execution of wrestler Navid Afkari in September 2020, said in a letter to FIFA's deputy secretary general Mattias Grafström.

United for Navid noted that the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) had not lived up to a pledge to FIFA to "end its policy of gender apartheid, abide by international sports laws and allow women to enter football stadiums".

Instead, women who want to watch football are "beaten, abused and threatened", the campaign group says.

"Iran continues to ignore FIFA’s repeated requests for Iran to show basic adherence to human rights."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also called upon FIFA to demand Iran lift a stadium ban on women and ensure anyone enforcing it is held accountable.

"Iranian authorities have repeatedly demonstrated they are willing to go to great lengths to enforce their discriminatory and cruel ban on women attending football stadiums," Tara Sepehri Far, senior Iran researcher at HRW, said.

"Given Iranian authorities’ longstanding violations, FIFA needs to follow its own global guidelines on non-discrimination and should consider enforcing penalties for Iran’s noncompliance."

HRW's senior Iran researcher added: "FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino has personally promised that Iranian women would be able to go to stadiums.

"It is long overdue for FIFA to demonstrate that it is serious in enforcing transparent accountability measures to ensure women in Iran can watch games like their peers all over the world."

United for Navid wrote to FIFA in November of last year claiming Iran should not be allowed to participate in international competitions because "they do not abide by international sports laws and violate human dignity".

It raised concern that Iranian authorities were using the COVID-19 pandemic as a justification to ban women from football stadiums at the time.

United for Navid also recalled the case of the "Blue Girl", Sahar Khodayari.

Khodayari was a female Iranian football fan who attempted to enter the Azadi Stadium in Tehran disguised as a man in March 2019 but was caught.

A court concluded she could face a six-month prison sentence.

After the court proceedings, Khodayari committed suicide by self-immolation.

Women were banned from stadiums in Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution, with the country’s clerical establishment being opposed to women attending stadiums with men.

In September 2019, FIFA ordered Iran to allow women into stadiums without restriction following the death of Khodayari.

The international governing body threatened to ban Iran from international competitions if it did not comply.

A prolonged dispute over FFIRI statutes also threatened to see the national governing body suspended by FIFA, which also issued a warning about judicial interference.

"We, Iranian athletes, ask you [FIFA] not to be deceived by the Iranian authorities," United for Navid said in the letter sent in November 2021.

"Politicians and the military have taken over Iranian sports, including football, and betrayed the spirit of sport.

"Do not allow Iran to participate in international as they do not abide by international sports laws and violate human dignity.

"Do not allow a country that beats and humiliates women for watching football behind stadiums to participate in international arenas.

"This is a request of millions of Iranian women that we, a group of athletes in the national uniform of the United for Navid campaign, want to hear.

"We want to see that you will finally act.

"Millions of women have no chance to protest their violated rights and face humiliation, flogging and imprisonment if they protest."

In January, women were permitted to attend the World Cup qualifier between Iran and Iraq, which was Iranian women's first chance to see a match in almost three years.

Iran won 1-0 and qualified for the World Cup.

Iran's men's team were drawn in Group B alongside England, the United States and the last European qualifier - one of Ukraine, Scotland or Wales - for the tournament in Qatar.

Relations between Iran and the US are strained, and so too Iran and the United Kingdom.

Iran is meanwhile one of Russia's strategic allies, and Russia has invaded Ukraine.

This political backdrop means tension could run high in Iran's group at the World Cup.