Before the 2026 World Cup, soccer is the least discussed topic. It is the off-field issues that are most talked about and attract the most attention. One of these is violence, that terrible phenomenon that manifests itself in different ways and has placed two of the World Cup venues in the eye of the hurricane, Mexico and the United States.
The latest news that shook the soccer universe in its relationship with the World Cup was Iran’s decline to participate in the tournament. Ahmad Doyanmali, Iran’s minister of sports, announced at a press conference that his national team was renouncing its ticket because there are no security guarantees to set foot on U.S. soil and because Donald Trump’s government has waged a “war” in the Middle East.
Since this corrupt government has murdered our leader, we cannot participate in the World Cup under any circumstances
- Iran was placed in Group G against Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt. Their three scheduled matches in the first phase will be played in the United States; Los Angeles and Seattle are the cities hosting their games.
Although Donald Trump assured FIFA that it will have no problem hosting the Iranian national team and will ensure their integrity, the Asian team distrusts his word and maintains its stance of not attending the tournament.
During the conversations, President Trump reiterated that, of course, the Iranian team is welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States
Thus, the foreign policy of the United States and its war agenda interfere with the development of the World Cup with the exclusion by its own decision of a team that won its ticket on the field and renounces it on the table as a consequence of violence.
Iran vs. USA, the 1998 precedent
The World Cup draw for France 1998 placed both nations in Group F alongside Germany and the now-defunct Yugoslavia.
For several months there was much talk about the match they were going to play. There was international tension due to the war conflict between the nations. There were rumors of attacks that were going to take place at the Stade Gerland in Lyon on June 21.
To everyone’s surprise, the teams took to the field together and sent a message of peace to show that soccer should not be tarnished. Iran won 2-1 against the United States with goals from Hamid Estili and Mehdi Madavikia; Brian McBride scored for the Americans.
Mexico is also in the spotlight
The federal operation carried out in Jalisco to capture Nemesio Oseguera ‘El Mencho’, which resulted in the death of the drug trafficker, is still being talked about. To this day, there is still debate about whether or not there are conditions to ensure the safety of tourists and fans attending the World Cup matches.
Since then, international media have been monitoring the violent events taking place in the country. Recently, the cases of missing female students from the UAEM in Morelos have alerted the world to a serious phenomenon in Mexico: forced disappearances.
Embassies and consulates issue recommendations to their citizens to ensure their safety on Mexican soil. Although they have not asked them not to visit the country, they do suggest that they take measures to avoid being victims of violence and insecurity.
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