Football shouldn't be at the front of anybody's mind with the world on the brink of war but the 2026 World Cup is inextricably linked with the geopolitical situation in a very specific way.
FIFA will take its major global showpiece to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer, with the USA hosting 78 of its 104 matches, and the administration of Donald Trump is involved both as a tournament host and a participant in the military conflict that is likely to overshadow proceedings before they even begin.
Trump boasted about the United States bombing military targets in Iran, whose conflict with Israel has escalated quickly this month.
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It's impossible to separate the violence in the Middle East from the World Cup partially hosted in the USA and football's entanglement with the conflict needn't have been as close as it is.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president, has attached himself to Trump like a limpet before and during the ongoing Club World Cup in the USA, reportedly acquiescing to demands that anti-racism messages be abandoned.
Infantino's pandering could protect both the participation of the USA and its hosting of next summer's tournament, but a 2026 World Cup ban for Iran is a possibility and Trump's influence over Infantino in that regard is problematic.
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Iran were the sixth team to qualify for the World Cup and, after Japan, the second to make the cut from the Asian confederation.
Several teams have been banned from World Cups for various reasons and there is a precedent for warring nations to be banned from football outright.
Russia have been suspended indefinitely as a result of the country's invasion of Ukraine and both FIFA and UEFA banned Yugoslavia in the early nineties due to its aggression in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
There is no suggestion that the USA be removed from hosting duties or its team lose their eligibility for the competition but football is the tip of the iceberg even in the narrow context of the World Cup.
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Even if Iran do play next summer, their supporters will probably not be there. The country is on Trump's banned travel list, barring citizens from travelling into the United States.
"The Islamic Republic was included in the most severe travel restrictions alongside Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen," reports Planet Football.
"[Their] citizens of the nations are completely barred from entering the U.S. under any visa category, either as an immigrant or non-immigrant."
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It remains to be seen whether arrangements are made for supporters at the World Cup, given Infantino's adherence to the message of the universality of the World Cup, but exemptions are expected for teams and associated staff.
With the situation in the Middle East deteriorating and the USA and Iran now in direct armed opposition, there's every possibility FIFA allows the decision to be taken out of its hands.
Topics: FIFA World Cup, Football World Cup, USA, Gianni Infantino, Donald Trump
Chris Nee