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The American president is turning the World Cup into a war zone
The 2026 World Cup has become an arena of unprecedented political tension after the administration of US President Donald Trump imposed severe restrictions on the Iranian and Iraqi national teams, in a move that sparked widespread debate about the politicization of soccer and the impact of diplomatic tensions on the world’s biggest sporting event.
The Spanish newspaper “AS” writes that the Iranian national team was forced to change its training camp at the last minute, from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, due to restrictions on Iranian citizens, and the star of the Iraqi national team, Ayman Hossein, was arrested and interrogated for 7 hours at the Chicago airport.
Iran is exiled to Mexico
The Iranian team arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, early Sunday morning after being forced to move its base camp from American territory due to the war between Tehran and Washington.
The people and authorities of Mexico have shown great support for the Iranian team, welcoming it to their soil in a humanitarian gesture that highlights solidarity with the Asian team in the face of political difficulties.
Travel on game day and leave immediately
But the suffering doesn’t end there, as all three of Iran’s group stage matches will be played on American soil, two in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco.
It is still unclear how and when players will be able to travel to attend these games, while recent reports suggest they may have to travel on the day of the match and leave shortly after to shorten their stay in the country.
Direct impact on performance
There is no doubt that this decision has a direct impact on the performance of the Iranian national team compared to the rest of the teams participating in the World Cup, which enjoy normal and stable preparation conditions.
This is a decision that was not well received in international football circles, as many considered it a clear violation of the principle of equality of teams and an unacceptable politicization of the sport.
Suspicious silence of FIFA
Despite the seriousness of the situation, the International Football Federation (FIFA) has yet to make any official comment on the matter, a silence that has drawn widespread criticism for failing to intervene to protect the rights of the participating teams.
A blanket ban on journalists and the public
In addition to the suffering of the Iranian national team, the American authorities refuse to grant visas to journalists and fans from Iran, many countries of the Middle East and even Africa.
Even with official press accreditation or paid tickets, the US government does not allow them to enter the country to enjoy the world’s biggest football festival.
Iraq is also paying the price
The problems are not limited to Iran, but have also spread to the Iraqi national team, although all the players have received visas to participate in the tournament.
Several members of the Iraqi delegation were forced to return to their country after being denied entry, including the team’s official photographer, who was denied entry and forced to return.
Ayman Hussein was detained for 7 hours
But the worst case was that of Iraqi national team star Ayman Hussein, who was detained and questioned for seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
The Iraqi goalscorer was wrongly suspected of being a terrorist due to mistaken identity, in a humiliating situation that has sparked outrage in Iraq and the Arab world.
Allegations of discrimination
These details suggest that the Trump administration is discriminating between the countries participating in the tournament, even if they are all official guests of the World Cup.
