This Tuesday (3), the 100-day countdown begins to the start of the biggest World Cup of all time, with a record number of participating teams, 48, a total of 104 matches, divided into 16 cities in three host countries, the United States, Canada and Mexico.
With these characteristics alone, the 23rd edition of the tournament would already be the most complex organized by FIFA (International Football Federation). But internal crises in the host countries and a challenging geopolitical scenario have further heightened tension just over three months before the opening game between Mexico and South Africa, on June 11, at the Azteca stadium, in the Mexican capital.
Debates about favorite teams, candidates for the tournament’s stars and the atmosphere of farewell to geniuses like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been overshadowed in recent months by intense political news, with a direct impact on the holding of the competition.
Not long ago, concerns revolved around the relationship between the United States and its two co-host neighbors, strained by the creation of trade tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on several countries, including Canada and Mexico. On the 20th, the US Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs were illegal, in a harsh defeat for the Republican’s economic policy.
In addition to economic protectionism, Trump increased immigration repression. His government adopted a restrictive policy, which froze the processing of immigrant visas for 75 countries, including visitors from four nations classified for the World Cup: Haiti, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Iran.
The US president would open a new crisis shortly afterwards, with the threat of annexing Greenland, causing tension with Denmark and a large part of the European Union.
Countries from the bloc even discussed the possibility of boycotting the World Cup if the situation worsened in the following months. Publicly, however, there was an attempt to lower the temperature of the crisis. The German Football Association released a statement saying a “boycott was not being considered” and citing the “unifying power of sport”.
This power of pacification will be tested again in the coming weeks after the news that shook the world last Saturday (28), with the joint military operation between the USA and Israel against Iran, which provoked a reaction from the Iranians, disturbing order in the Middle East.
Iranian forces struck American installations and targets in Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Also on Saturday, it was confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, was among the people killed after the US and Israeli attacks.
Hours later, in a speech shown on a local state television network, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, classified the country’s participation in the World Cup as “unlikely”.
“With what happened today and the attack from the United States, it is difficult to look at the World Cup with hope, but this is a decision that belongs to the sport’s directors,” he said.
Wanted by SheetFIFA did not respond about Taj’s statement or about possible consequences of the conflict for the tournament.
Iran’s three group stage matches are scheduled to take place on American soil: against New Zealand, on June 15, in Los Angeles; against Belgium, on the 21st, in the same city; and against Egypt, on June 26, in Seattle. There is also the possibility of a direct confrontation with the home team in the first knockout phase, if both finish second in their groups.
The possibility of transferring these games to Mexico has been reported by the international press. The co-host, however, is experiencing a wave of internal violence, triggered after an operation that caused the death of drug trafficker Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho”.
After the incident, the country began to experience a series of attacks organized by the Jalisco Nova Geração Cartel.
The tension forced FIFA president Gianni Infantino to speak out about the possibility of moving the World Cup playoff games, which are scheduled to take place in Mexico this month. The leader, however, rejected the idea.
“Nobody needs to change anything. We are in constant contact with the Mexican presidency and the authorities. We have full confidence in the Mexican authorities, in President Claudia Sheinbaum and her team, and we fully support them,” said Infantino. “Of course we are monitoring the situation, but we have full confidence that everything will go well”, insisted the director.
On the 26th, Jamaica x New Caledonia and Bolivia x Suriname open the matches of the mini tournament that counts for a place in the World Cup. On the 31st, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo will face the winners of the duels. Games are scheduled for Jalisco and Monterrey.
There are still six places left for the World Cup, two for the world repechage, in Mexican territory, and four that will come from the European repechage. Not to mention the possibility of Iran withdrawing, something that hasn’t happened since the 1950 World Cup.
