The game was created in 1930 when FIFA president Jules Rimet organized the first international men’s tournament in Uruguay to elevate soccer beyond the amateur Olympic Games. These games have been hosted every four years since then. The games have been hosted in the United States only once before 2026, in 1994.
Every year since the start of the games, more and more countries have participated and were able to compete against other countries that they wouldn’t be able to compete with otherwise.
Iran founded their first national team in 1920, influenced by the British oil prospectors. They have been playing in the AFC Asian Cup for 14 editions and won three times in 1968, 1972 and 1976. They have qualified to play in the World Cup seven times counting this year (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026) even though they have never won it.
As per the recent conflict between the United States and Iran, soccer fans thought that Iran wouldn’t be able to participate at this World Cup. On Truth Social, President Donald Trump said that it wouldn’t be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup. Many soccer fans believed that Iran would just give up and withdraw from the World Cup. It was shocking when FIFA didn’t take them off their website as a qualifying team.
The Iranian soccer team took action in this situation; they talked with their embassy in Mexico to try to move their games in Mexico instead of playing in the United States. FIFA rejected their request, insisting that the schedule will proceed as planned despite rising geopolitical tensions.
It is really a shock that president Trump discouraged them from playing soccer in the United States. The World Cup was introduced to bring countries together and not to separate them. FIFA had the correct approach to this situation because many other countries are having conflicts either between other countries or within its own country. We can take Haiti as an example since they had conflicts while they were competing in the World Cup.
The World Cup is an event to bring countries together while competing and having fun playing a sport. Every World Cup has had a different theme that represents what they want to express. The 2026 FIFA World Cup theme #WeAre26 emphasizes unity, diversity and the inclusion of 48 teams including Canada, Mexico and the United States.
This emphasizes the importance of being united not just as a country but as a planet all together. From the beginning the World Cup has tried to bring people together in many different ways. They have also added mascots to encourage young people to watch the matches and encourage them to play soccer and become like their favorite stars they see on TV. That’s why this year’s three mascots are Maple the Moose for Canada, Zayu the Jaguar for Mexico and Clutch the Bald Eagle for the United States.
Many sports fans also think that Iran could boycott the United States. This isn’t the first time this has been assumed in the World Cup. It has happened many times in previous years, the most recent being 1978 in Argentina where political activists in Europe, particularly in France, campaigned for a boycott of the tournament to protest the Argentine military junta’s human rights abuses.
As per recent news by Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, Iran will be playing in the World Cup in the United States. He said this at a friendly game between Costa Rica and Iran. Iran’s football federation president did not confirm or deny this rumor.
