Expert Reveals Condition Which Could See World Cup Postponed Amid US ConflictDonald TrumpFollowLikeLink copied to clipboardAdd us on4By Hal FishMar 5, 2026, 10:31 PM GMTWe may be just months away from the 2026 World Cup, but there are plenty of questions that remain in regards to just how the tournament will play out. Most pertinently, there are concerns about Iran’s participation.Iran are scheduled to play three group-stage matches in the USA this summer. They face New Zealand on 15 June in Los Angeles, Belgium on 21 June in the same city, and finally Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. However, following recent geopolitical events, they may not attend the World Cup.After the United States and Israel launched military attacks against the country, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, said: “With what happened today and with that attack by the United States, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup.”Since then, Iran have launched missiles and drone attacks against Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan and Oman. As conflict grows, there may be genuine fears regarding the United States’ ability to safely host the World Cup.Could the 2026 World Cup Be Postponed?Donald TrumpDonald TrumpThe good news is that it appears very unlikely that the summer tournament could be postponed. Professor Simon Chadwick, who has previously served as director of research for the organisers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and has also advised global sporting organisations, has spoken on the topic.Talking to SPORTbible, Chadwick explained that attacks would likely have to occur in the US and Europe before there was any realistic chance of the World Cup being called off. He said:“With only three months to go to the World Cup, postponement of the tournament to next year seems unlikely. Logistically, economically and politically, it would be a major challenge to reschedule the mega-event. So long as conflict remains contained within the Middle East, it would be hard to justify or explain postponement.“However, if attacks spill over into Europe and North America, the matter would escalate and become much more serious. Furthermore, if air travel is disrupted or oil supplies are significantly affected, practical considerations might force FIFA and the US to think about alternative arrangements for the competition.“One nevertheless suspects that Donald Trump and his administration would strongly oppose rescheduling, as they would likely see it as capitulation. Postponement has to be a possibility, although for the time being at least, the tournament seems more likely to go ahead as planned.”
Leave a Reply