If Iran withdraws from competing in the World Cup, in the wake of attacks by the United States and Israel on the Middle Eastern country, it will not be the first case in the history of the tournament.
Whether for logistical reasons, political reasons or armed conflicts, the World Cup has been experiencing absences since its first edition, in 1930, in Uruguay.
Author of “The Golden Book of World Cups”, journalist Lycio Vellozo Ribas recalls that, during the first editions of the World Cup, many teams, especially the European ones, gave up participating due to the long trips that at the time lasted a few weeks, when the venues were in South America.
“The first case involving geopolitical issues that prevented a team from participating in the tournament was in 1938, when Austria, which already had a confirmed place in the competition to be held in France, was annexed by Nazi Germany,” said Ribas.
At the time, some Austrian players joined the German team, and the place reserved for the Austrian team was not filled, with 15 teams in contention and Sweden, initially their opponents in the debut, advancing directly to the next phase.
Ribas added that, more recently, the last case was that of Russia, which was prevented from participating in the European qualifiers and, therefore, the World Cup in Qatar, due to the invasion of Vladimir Putin’s army in Ukraine.
The book’s author stated that, unlike other editions that were held without substitutes for open places, this time FIFA will certainly fill the place that may eventually be opened by the Iranian absence.
He said he believed that a more viable option would be for Iraq, which is in the intercontinental playoff, to inherit the place, with the United Arab Emirates, eliminated by the Iraqi team in the Asian play-off, taking its place in the dispute for the two remaining places in the World Cup.
Remember the main withdrawals in World Cups
1930
The first edition of the World Cup was the only one in which the participating teams were invited, without preliminary qualifiers.
Representative of Africa, the Egyptian team had confirmed participation in the tournament held in Uruguay, but was unable to attend due to logistical problems, after a storm prevented the delegation from boarding. The competition ended up being held with 13 teams.
1934
Champion of the inaugural edition, Uruguay boycotted the second edition, in Italy, as a form of retaliation for Azurra, in addition to a series of other European teams, refusing to travel to South America to participate in the dispute four years earlier. There were 16 teams in the dispute, with Brazil and Argentina as the two South American representatives.
1938
Argentina and Uruguay decided not to participate in the World Cup in France as a form of protest, due to FIFA’s decision to organize the tournament for the second consecutive time in Europe, without respecting the continental rotation agreement.
Qualified for the World Cup, Austria was invaded and annexed by Germany, with some Austrian players joining the German team. There was no choice for a substitute, with 15 teams in contention and Sweden, initially Austria’s opponents, advancing directly to the next phase.
1950
The World Cup played in Brazil was marked by a series of withdrawals, with only 13 teams in contention.
India stopped coming due to lack of funds and the option of prioritizing participation in the 1952 Olympic Games, in Helsinki, Finland, while France withdrew after claiming that they would have to travel very long distances during the tournament in Brazilian territory.
Turkey also cited financial reasons for declining participation. Scotland did not compete after finishing second in the British qualifiers – the Scottish federation had established that it would only participate if it had finished in first place, which went to England.
1958
During the Qualifiers for the Swedish Cup, Egypt, Sudan, Turkey and Indonesia refused to face Israel for the place allocated to Asia/Africa. Wales, second in their group in the European qualifiers, behind Czechoslovakia, ended up being chosen as the opponent, beating the Israeli team and sealing their place in the World Cup.
1966
The edition of the World Cup in England was marked by the absence of African teams in the dispute. The 15 teams from the continent refused to compete in the Qualifiers, as a form of protest for having to participate in a playoff with teams from Asia and Oceania for a place in the tournament. In the following edition, in 1970, Africa had an exclusive place.
1974
The World Cup qualifiers in West Germany featured disputes between South American and European teams, including the clash between Chile and the Soviet Union.
The two teams played their first match in Moscow and were held to a goalless draw. The Soviet Union refused to play the return match, which would be played at the National Stadium in Santiago, claiming that the place was a detention center for political prisoners under the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship.
