US attacks on Iran throws World Cup into turmoil

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This summer’s controversial men’s FIFA World Cup faces a new danger, with main host nation the United States attacking one of the participants, Iran.

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The soccer tournament, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and due to kick off on June 11, has already been criticized. There are concerns about logistics and infrastructure, calls for a boycott of Donald Trump’s travel ban, and fears for the safety of fans in the United States, where meth agents have swept through cities in a violent immigration crackdown. FIFA itself has been criticized – for its president Gianni Infantino’s sycophancy to the US president and for its “strategic partnership” with Trump’s peace council.

Iran’s involvement is now being called into question over the war in the Middle East. FIFA appears unwilling to grant the Iranian Football Federation’s request to move its U.S. schedule to Mexico, and Trump has said it would be “inappropriate” for Iranian players to compete “for their own lives and safety.”

Will Iran participate?

“When Trump made it clear that he cannot ensure the safety of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to the United States,” Iranian Football Association President Mehdi Tegui said on the X account of the Iranian Embassy in Mexico.

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Moving Iran’s games to Mexico would be a logistical thorn in the side, but not unprecedented. But then there’s the question of the knockout stages: If the United States and Iran both advance as group runners-up, they will face off in the round of 32. If Iran decides to withdraw, they will become the first qualifier team to withdraw since 1950.

According to the current schedule, Iran’s first group match will be against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. New Zealand told The Athletic it was continuing to “monitor the situation” but was making plans for the match against Iran “until we hear otherwise”.

What about other Middle Eastern teams?

Iraq has a chance to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986 but needs to win a play-off match in Mexico on March 31 against either Suriname or Bolivia. With Middle Eastern airspace currently closed, it’s difficult to see how Iraqis could travel to watch the game.

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Iraq coach Graham Arnold has called for the play-offs to be postponed, and the country’s football federation president Adnan Dijal has written to FIFA explaining the “difficulty of the journey”. Meanwhile, he has made plans for the team to fly to Mexico on a private jet, according to the BBC.

What else is there to worry about?

There are concerns that ice police will be deployed at U.S. World Cup venues for security purposes. Mexico has seen a worrying wave of violence since the death of a drug cartel leader in Jalisco state. The state capital Guadalajara will host four games.

Last month, EU sports commissioner Glenn Micallef urged Gianni Infantino to “help protect fans,” Politico reported. As violence escalated in the Middle East, he asked again but said there was “no further communication from FIFA”. He told the news site it was “legitimate” to seek assurances from a “public safety perspective”, particularly because “one of the organizers of the biggest sporting event in the world is a party to the war”. “There is room for further clarity on the hypothesis.”

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Micallef said FIFA also had “a lot of responsibility” for its role in the Trump-backed peace commission. It may pledge $75 million for football infrastructure in Gaza, but Europe prefers to work with organizations “that respect the international rules-based order, such as UNESCO and UNICEF” on such sports-related projects.

A FIFA spokesman said security at the World Cup was a “top priority”. We are “confident that the efforts of Canada, Mexico and the United States will ensure a safe, secure and welcoming environment for all participants.”