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With under 100 days to go, Iran war and violence in Mexico weigh on World Cup

Published: 05 Mar. 2026, 18:19

Morocco's Abderrazzaq Hamed Allah, second from left, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal in the FIFA Arab Cup final against Jordan in Lusail, Qatar, on Dec. 18, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

With under 100 days to go until the FIFA World Cup, the Iran war has added a new layer of complexity to the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

How the conflict will affect the world’s most-watched sporting event is the latest issue facing organizers already grappling with cartel violence in one of Mexico's host cities, scaled-back plans for fan festivals in the United States and criticism from fans over soaring ticket prices.

Officials of the qualified teams are meeting with FIFA staff in Atlanta this week. The tournament kicks off on June 11 when Mexico plays South Africa in Mexico City. It will be the biggest World Cup ever with 48 participating teams, up from 32 at the previous tournament in Qatar.

It's not unusual for international politics to overshadow a global sports event like the World Cup, at least in the early stages before match action takes over the headlines.

In 2022, Qatar's treatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQ+ community drew headlines off the field. LGBTQ+ rights, the annexation of Crimea and the poisoning of a spy in Britain were in focus when Russia hosted the tournament in 2018.

Demonstrators protest against rising rents and the World Cup in Mexico City on Feb. 27. [AP/YONHAP]

In Brazil in 2014 and South Africa in 2010, there were concerns about crime and security.

The 2026 tournament looks set to kick off amid a backdrop of political tensions involving the United States and participating nations.

Many have been hit by tariffs. Some are facing travel restrictions. Denmark, which can still qualify through playoffs in March, has been shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for a takeover of Greenland. And with 100 days to go, the United States is embroiled in a military conflict with Iran, one of the first teams to qualify.

Iran is set to play two group stage games in Inglewood, California, and one in Seattle.

However, whether the Iranian team will come to the United States is uncertain.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Iran's top football official, Mehdi Taj, said last weekend as the United States and Israel launched coordinated attacks that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens more senior officials.

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington on Dec. 5, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

Still, Iran has not announced a withdrawal from the tournament, which no team that qualified has done in the past 75 years. Iran, the second-highest ranked team in Asia, was drawn in a group with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.

"I really don’t care,” if Iran participates, Trump told Politico on Tuesday. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request about whether Iran federation officials attended the Atlanta workshop.

Fan festivals have been a key part of the World Cup experience in the past two decades. They offer a chance for thousands of fans without match tickets to take part in the World Cup atmosphere by coming together to watch games on a big screen.

Morocco celebrate their victory at the FIFA Arab Cup after beating Jordan in Lusail, Qatar, on Dec. 18, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

New York and New Jersey eliminated their joint Fan Fest in Jersey City, New Jersey, even though it had started selling tickets for an event scheduled to be open every day of the tournament.

Planning to sell tickets was itself unprecedented for World Cup fan zones, which were free to enter since being launched at the 2006 edition in Germany.

Seattle cut down its original plan and rescheduled it for smaller venues, and Boston trimmed its event to 16 days.

The chief operating officer of Miami’s FIFA World Cup host committee said during a congressional hearing on Feb. 24 that it might cancel its event if it did not receive federal funding within 30 days. Kansas City, Missouri, Deputy Police Chief Joseph Maybin said the city had an immediate need for federal funds to prepare security.

Iran's Saman Ghoddos, left, and Danial Esmaeilifar, right, challenge Russia's Nail Umyarov for the ball during a friendly between Russia and Iran at Volgograd Arena in Volgograd, Russia, on Oct. 10, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

House Republicans said federal money may be held up by the partial government shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security caused by Democrats' insistence that restrictions be placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The New England Patriots’ stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is due to host seven World Cup games, starting with Haiti-Scotland on June 13 and ending with a quarterfinal on July 9.

The Select Board of Foxborough has refused to issue a permit for World Cup matches at the stadium and set a March 17 deadline to be paid $7.8 million, which the town estimates will be the cost of police and other expenses. Foxborough said it was not part of FIFA’s hosting agreement with Boston.

FIFA has about 7 million seats to fill for the World Cup matches and said last month it received 500 million ticket requests. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has proclaimed that all 104 games are sold out, and yet some fans received emails last week offering an extra 48-hour window for ticket sales.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum holds up a slip with "Mexico" during the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

FIFA’s prices in December ranged up to $8,680 per ticket. After criticism, FIFA said it will offer a few hundred $60 tickets for every game to the 48 national federations in the tournament. Those federations will decide how to distribute them to their most loyal fans.

Most seats on FIFA's ticket resale platform, launched to cut out the secondary market and earn FIFA an extra 15 percent in fees from buyers and sellers, are well past the $1,000 mark.

Mexico’s ability to co-host the World Cup has been under scrutiny after a surge in violence last week in the state of Jalisco following the military’s killing of a powerful cartel boss.

The state’s capital, Guadalajara, is set to host four matches during the group stage.

Mexico’s government insists the World Cup won’t be affected, and President Claudia Sheinbaum said there’s no risk for fans coming to the tournament.

Infantino told Sheinbaum that he has full confidence in Mexico as a World Cup host.

The FIFA leader has repeatedly promised the 2026 World Cup will be the greatest and most inclusive.

AP