\u201cIt will be interesting to see the extent to which, during press conferences, their statements about the war, that there’s even concerns about people coming from Gulf states who are here,\u201d said Paul Poast, a professor at the University of Chicago.<\/p>\n
Perhaps none will draw as much scrutiny as Iran<\/a>, a country the US, one of three countries co-hosting the World Cup<\/a>, is at war with.<\/p>\n Iran’s players landed in Mexico on Monday, having been denied a base<\/a> in the US. Their players wore gold “#168” lapel pins, pointing to the victims killed by a likely American missile strike<\/a> on an elementary school on February 28.<\/p>\n Visa applications for many of its staff have been denied, and Iran’s ticket allocation<\/a> for the World Cup has been pulled days before their opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Iranian hostage crisis is something a lot of people haven’t got over,\u201d said David Kilpatrick, a football historian and professor at Mercy University in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the USA faced Iran before, it was a real show of unity and global citizenship: the absurdity of warfare, the futility of it, and that sport can bring reconciliation and friendship. Competition can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n World Cup arrivals face trouble at US border<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies<\/a> have impacted staff members, officials and fans of other countries, including one Iraqi team staff member and a Somali referee<\/a> who were denied entry at US airports in recent days. And of the 39 countries under a full or partial US travel ban, four \u2013 Iran, Haiti, Ivory Coast and Senegal \u2013 will play at the World Cup.<\/p>\n Trump’s trade row with co-hosts Canada and Mexico have also fallen back into view with the renewal of the USMCA, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be present at fixtures throughout the World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s all these ways in which current geopolitics is absolutely on centre stage for this World Cup,\u201d Poast said.<\/p>\n For Kilpatrick, who grew up a supporter of the New York Cosmos, the final to be played at the Meadowlands, the New Jersey stadium made famous by legendary Brazilian footballer Pele, carries additional meaning under the current geopolitics.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the global game to be played in the metropolitan area where the UN congregates is a really significant moment in history that I hope we can make the most of,\u201d Kilpatrick said.<\/p>\n An expanded field<\/p>\n Forty-eight teams from six confederations will compete in this new, supersized format with three hosts and 16 venues scattered across North America.<\/p>\n For the global game to be played in the metropolitan area where the UN congregates is a really significant moment in history that I hope we can make the most of<\/p>\n David Kilpatrick, Thirty-two teams will advance to the knockout rounds \u2013 the top two from every group plus the eight best third-place teams.<\/p>\n From the Middle East and North Africa, Jordan<\/a>, will make their debut. Iraq<\/a> are making a first appearance at the global finals in four decades, while Qatar will be making only a second appearance after hosting the 2022 tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope Iraq will do very well,\u201d Crescent Petroleum chief executive Majid Jafar said during a think tank event in Washington on Monday. \u201cThere’s never been 48 teams before, so I think the whole world is excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Morocco<\/a> will bring the biggest star power from the region with a squad that includes Real Madrid playmaker Brahim Diaz, Ayyoub Bouaddi<\/a> from Lille and Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, who will captain The Atlas Lions.<\/p>\n Al Hilal winger Salem Al Dawsari will be hoping to replicate Saudi Arabia’s 2022 triumph over Argentina, while free agent Mohamed Salah<\/a> looks to guide Egypt to a first win on the game’s biggest stage.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/media\/ApNaXbYO\/poster.jpg\")
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professor and football historian<\/p>\n