A first at the World Cup held in the USA

15.06.2026 20:10

There has never been a situation where a country hosting the World Cup was in an active war with another participating country or had just emerged from a war, but a first will occur at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The US will make history by hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches of Iran, a country it was at war with until recently.

A FIRST IN THE WORLD CUP

While a situation where a host nation of the World Cup was actively at war with, or had just emerged from war with, another country participating in the tournament had never occurred before, a first will happen at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran will play its World Cup matches in the US, a host country it has emerged from war with. The US, one of the tournament's hosts, was at war with Iran, which is preparing to take the stage in the organization, until recently.

"WE ENDED THE WAR WITH IRAN"

US President Donald Trump, in a statement on June 12, stated that Iran had agreed not to possess nuclear weapons, using the phrase, "Today we ended the war with Iran."

Since the clashes in the war between the US and Iran took place entirely in Iran and the Middle East region, canceling the tournament in North America was not considered. On the other hand, the tension between the two countries could lead to developments that may cause security breaches during the tournament between Iranian supporters coming to the country for the World Cup and the American public.

TOURNAMENTS CANCELLED DUE TO WAR

Although some tournaments were cancelled due to wars in the past, a situation where the host and the participant were at war had not occurred. The 1942 and 1946 World Cup tournaments were cancelled due to World War II.

FIFA REJECTED IRAN'S REQUEST TO RELOCATE ITS MATCHES

Iranian officials had announced that the national team's participation in the North American tournament was "impossible" due to attacks by the US and Israel. FIFA rejected Iran's requests to move its matches to Mexico or Canada and stated that the matches must be played in US cities as planned.

IRAN SOUGHT ASSURANCES FOR ITS MATCHES IN THE US

In recent months, Iran sought assurances from FIFA for its participation in the World Cup, where it will play its matches in the US. US President Donald Trump had previously warned that the Iranian National Team's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup would not be safe. In light of Trump's statements, Iran emphasized that "according to FIFA's relevant regulations, security must be ensured in the relevant country." Stating that the security of any national team participating in the World Cup in a country must be guaranteed by FIFA, Iran noted that otherwise, FIFA should not allow the World Cup matches to be played in the US.

US ACCUSED OF SABOTAGING IRANIAN FAN PRESENCE

The Iran Football Federation announced that the quota allocated to the federation for ticket sales to national team fans for the World Cup organization had been cancelled, accusing the US of sabotaging the presence of Iranian fans at the World Cup. The Iran Football Federation, less than three days before the start of the World Cup organization, issued a statement stating that "the US has sabotaged the presence of Iranian fans in the 23rd World Cup group stage of the Iran National Football Team." The statement noted that according to FIFA procedures, approximately 8 percent of the ticket capacity for each match in the World Cup is allocated to the federations of the participating teams for fans to purchase through the official channel.

The Iran Football Federation also stated that it wanted to sell tickets for the national team matches according to the same principles, but the quota allocated for Iranian fans had been removed and it was currently not possible to sell tickets through the federation. The statement also expressed that preventing Iranian fans from accessing the legally and officially allocated ticket quota was "an act contrary to the spirit of international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries."

"I AM VERY HAPPY ABOUT IRAN"

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, at a press conference before the opening match in Mexico, responded to a question about Iran, which had visa issues with the US and moved its camp to Mexico, saying, "I am very happy about Iran. People were saying Iran wouldn't come, I promised them they would. I said if I have to go to Tehran by bus and bring them here myself, I will do it. Their response was, 'We'll take the bus and come ourselves if necessary. We qualified and we want to play.' That is the spirit of football."

Recalling that he visited the Iran National Team in Turkey in March, Infantino commented, "Under these circumstances, I don't know who else could ensure Iran can come and play. The stadium will be full when Iran plays, and hopefully, it will be a positive atmosphere. Because football is about people forgetting their own realities and focusing on a match and a team."

IRAN CONTINUES WORLD CUP PREPARATIONS

Players of the Iran National Football Team are continuing their preparations at the Caliente Stadium in Tijuana, Mexico, where they are staying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran had experienced a visa crisis with the host country US, where it will play its matches.

After lengthy reviews, the US granted visas to the footballers in the Iranian delegation, head coach Amir Ghalenoi, and some technical staff members, but did not approve the visa applications of 13 people in the team's administrative and technical staff.

Calling for FIFA to intervene regarding the visa issue, Iran moved its camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, due to prolonged uncertainties. The delegation will still have to travel to the US for all three group matches.

IRAN'S GROUP G OPPONENTS: BELGIUM, EGYPT, AND NEW ZEALAND

Iran, which will take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, will make its 7th appearance in this tournament.

Iran, which will compete against Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand in Group G, had announced it would not participate in the organization due to attacks by the US and Israel. However, following the ceasefire, Iran announced it would take part in the tournament.