Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months
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What does the US conflict with Iran mean for what was already set to be a highly politicised World Cup this summer?
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World cup
International sports competition where competitors represent their nation
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is the FIFA World Cup for association football, which dates back...
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Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months By Dan Roan Sports editor Published 19 minutes ago In little over 100 days, the United States will co-host a football World Cup that Iran have qualified for. On Saturday, the US attacked Iran as part of a joint operation with Israel, sparking retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. So what could the conflict mean for Iran, for the US, and for what was already set to be a highly politicised World Cup? BBC Sport takes a closer look. Will Iran still play at the World Cup? Iran's group matches in what would be their fourth consecutive World Cup are against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, then Egypt in Seattle. The team were not withdrawn from the competition last summer when the US bombed three nuclear facilities in the country, but the head of its football federation has now reportedly cast doubt on their participation. "With what happened... and with that attack by the United States, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup, but the sports chiefs are the ones who must decide on that," Mehdi Taj is reported to have told Iranian television. , external But in the aftermath of the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and amid huge uncertainty over the future political landscape in the country, predicting such a decision - or even who would make it - is impossible. "For Tehran, this is not a short 12-day war or a contained round of escalation that can be paused and reset," said Dr Sanam Vakil - director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at international affairs think-tank Chatham House. "This new stage of conflict is existential and clearly about regime survival. It is also unlikely to end quickly." Fifa - football's world governing body - has said it is monitoring developments but, at this stage, officials are privately saying they expect Iran to be at the World Cup. On Saturday, Fifa's general secretary Mattias Grafstrom said "our focus is to have a safe ...
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