Iran’s World Cup preparations shadowed by war with host nation

Iran’s World Cup campaign has become a test of logistics as much as football. With the United States, Canada and Mexico preparing to stage the biggest men’s World Cup ever, 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities, Iran arrives in Group G under the shadow of war with the tournament’s main host and the scrutiny that comes with it.

FIFA’s opening match was set for June 11 in Mexico City, but Iran’s path was already complicated before a ball was kicked. Its first group-stage match is scheduled for June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, followed by Belgium in Seattle and Egypt in Seattle or Los Angeles depending on the final schedule. Iran’s team base was moved from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, after visa-processing problems, underscoring how the conflict has spilled into the ordinary business of training, travel and recovery.

The strain has been visible inside the squad. Iranian players have said the war has affected their preparations, mental focus and sense of normality, forcing footballers to think about border checks and diplomatic uncertainty alongside tactics and fitness. On March 11, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said he saw “no possibility” of the men’s national team taking part, a stark warning that now sits against the reality of Iran’s presence in the field.

By early June, the visa question was still shaping the team’s movements. Iran’s squad was training in Turkey, while some members traveled to Ankara to submit U.S. visa applications. That process has heightened concern not just for players and staff but for supporters too, as border scrutiny, possible denials and fan access have become part of the World Cup conversation before the tournament has fully begun.

Analysts say this is unprecedented: no World Cup host has previously been at war with one of the teams competing in the finals, and no host nation has ever attacked a participating team’s country so close to kickoff. The clearest historical warning remains the 1969 Honduras-El Salvador conflict, the Football War, which grew out of tensions around World Cup qualifying and lasted about 100 hours, leaving an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 dead, mostly civilians. This tournament may end up redefining the old claim that sport can stand apart from politics, because for Iran, the politics have already entered the locker room.