Football Daily Destination New Jersey: Can Iran play a World Cup in the USA?
Mar 25, 2026
Marion Reimers, Mexican sports journalist, reports on Mexico’s readiness and public mood around hosting playoff matches. Mani Djazmi, Middle East football specialist, explains Iran’s internal tensions and the complexities of their World Cup participation. They discuss security, logistics, ticketing and political sensitivities in short sharp takes.
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Airport Security Strain Could Frighten Fans
- Underfunding in US airport security is adding travel friction ahead of the World Cup.
- Nico describes understaffed TSA, ICE presence, and staff missing paychecks as concrete signs of strain affecting fan travel and confidence.
Iran Is Likely To Go Despite Disruption
- Mani Djazmi believes Iran will likely still attend the World Cup despite the war because withdrawing is rare and politically fraught.
- He notes Iran's disrupted preparations, training in Turkey, cancelled friendlies and the unusual domestic turmoil affecting logistics.
FIFA Is Choosing To Wait On Iran Decisions
- FIFA has mostly stayed quiet on Iran, choosing to wait rather than pre-emptively move matches.
- Mani argues FIFA sensibly avoids relocating games now because legal and practical complications would follow and default is for Iran to participate.