By Thomas Bonvehi/Cronkite News
TUCSON – Ongoing conflict in the Middle East has put Iran’s participation in the FIFA World Cup – and its training schedule at Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex – in doubt.
Facility director Sarah Horvath said she has not heard if the country’s plans have changed, but is hopeful for clarity soon.
“We see sports as a great unifier,” Horvath said. “Even when there’s all kinds of muck going on in the world, you have sports that unify us all. When it really breaks down to it, we are all a lot more alike than we are different.”
Iran’s top soccer official, Mehdi Taj, a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation, was less optimistic.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” he told ESPN.
In late February, Kino Sports Complex received confirmation that it would serve as the base camp for the Iranian national team’s training. Now, the city and complex are on hold.
“We really enjoy that aspect of our jobs that we get to focus on sports and not worry about the rest,” Horvath said.
Güneş Murat Tezcür, a professor of political science and the director of the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State, said banning Iran would be “extraordinary” but not unprecedented.
“There’s always a kind of element of connectivity when it comes to what countries get punished and what kind of countries are not punished,” he said. “Typically, the more powerful hegemonic actors are the ones who get to decide what norms should be enforced and what norms should not be enforced.
“Iran is a terrible dictatorship, but then again, there are other terrible dictatorships in the world. At the same time, Iran did not start the war. It was being attacked, and now it’s basically retaliating and then obviously attacking some other countries in the (Persian) Gulf.”
Tensions between Iran and its neighbors have been ongoing, including drone attacks on countries such as Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the World Cup in 2034.
The tensions reached a boiling point after a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike that led to the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday.
FIFA has banned multiple countries from participating in the World Cup in the past. The most recent example was Russia. Hosts of the 2018 World Cup, FIFA banned the country from World Cup play since its invasion of Ukraine, and its clubs are not allowed to participate in UEFA competitions such as the Champions League or Europa League.
Iran, while not officially banned, could be next in line, whether it decides to boycott, is banned by FIFA, or if President Donald Trump forces its hand.
In 2024, FIFA built a new office and headquarters in the United States to manage the World Cup, but a second office was built in Trump Tower in New York City in July 2025.
FIFA also gave Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw, presented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“FIFA had always (been) very political and not very transparent,” Tezcür said. “How FIFA evolved over the years, I think it became a success, commercially, in addition to this kind of U.S. connection. I think this has been a trend for a while, and now we basically see the escalation of that trend.”
If FIFA bans Iran or chooses not to play, the league’s rulebook allows two options. One option is to change the group from four teams to three, but the more likely approach will be to replace Iran with another team.
It’s unknown whether that new team’s training would be in Kino, but it would be a challenge regardless, as FIFA would need to pick a new team before the tournament starts in June, giving the team a maximum of three months to prepare.
It could also leave Tucson officials out in the cold.
On Dec. 5, 2025, Iran was placed in a group with New Zealand, Egypt, and Belgium during the World Cup draw. If Iran doesn’t compete in the World Cup, the United Arab Emirates or Iraq are expected to replace them, depending on the World Cup playoffs that will be decided in late March, The Guardian reported.
If Iraq fails to qualify, it would likely be next in line to replace Iran. If Iraq qualifies, it would likely go to the UAE.
Nothing remains concrete yet, but recent and potential future events may force Iran’s federation’s hand over the next three months.
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