Up to 1,000 Irish fans are expected to travel to Tehran for the second leg of the Republic's World Cup qualifying on November 15th. Female Irish supporters will be allowed to attend the game but will be accommodated in a separate section of the ground.
Officials in the Iranian embassy in Dublin worked through the Islamic holy day yesterday to process the deluge of visa applications.
A spokesman said between 800 and 1,000 visiting supporters were expected, although not all would be travelling from Ireland.
Iranian women do not normally attend football matches but the embassy said some of the visa applications were from women.
Travel agent Ray Treacy, who returned yesterday from a fact-finding trip to Tehran, said women would be accommodated in a "VIP" area of the 100,000-capacity stadium.
Up to yesterday afternoon, his company had no bookings from women.
The other main Irish travel agent offering packages, 747 Travel, said it had dealt with "about 20" enquiries from women. A London-based company, Benz Travel, also has packages.
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