FIFA has established a precedent regarding Iran’s exclusion from the 2026 World Cup in light of the ongoing conflict with the United States.

In light of the ongoing conflict with the United States, FIFA has established a precedent regarding Iran’s exclusion from the 2026 World Cup.

 

 

 

The geopolitical situation is inextricably linked with the 2026 World Cup in a very specific manner, despite the fact that football should not be at the forefront of anyone’s mind in light of the impending global conflict. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will host 78 of the 104 matches in FIFA’s major global showpiece next summer.

 

 

 

 

The Trump administration is involved in both the military conflict that is expected to overshadow the proceedings before they even begin and as a tournament host. Trump boasted about the United States’ bombardment of military targets in Iran, which has experienced a rapid escalation of its conflict with Israel this month.

 

 

 

 

It is impossible to disentangle the violence in the Middle East from the World Cup, which was partially hosted in the United States. The conflict’s proximity to football should not have been as extreme. Iran was the sixth team to qualify for the World Cup and the second from the Asian confederation to do so, following Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

There is a precedent for warring nations to be barred from football outright, and numerous teams have been banned from World Cups for a variety of reasons. Yugoslavia was prohibited by both FIFA and UEFA in the early 1990s as a consequence of its aggression in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Russia has been suspended indefinitely as a consequence of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

 

 

 

 

 

Although there is no recommendation that the United States be relieved of its hosting responsibilities or that its team forfeit its eligibility for the competition, football is only the top of the iceberg, even in the restricted context of the World Cup.