World Cup 2026: The most political of all time?
5/28/202629 min
Politics, power and money have always been part of international sporting competitions, and football (or soccer) is no exception.
However, this year’s World Cup faces new challenges. The United States is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico, and its relationship with its neighbours has at times been rocky. Two countries at war with each other – the US and Iran – have never played in the same competition before. Some fans are anxious about travelling to games at a time of high tension. And the cost of attending the event has led some to ask whether this World Cup is really worth it.
Mehreen Khan, economics editor of The Times of London and a lifelong fan of the sport, joins us to discuss what this World Cup could mean for a divided world.
Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Aron Keller
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: FIFA World Cup on display in Toronto. Credit: Kevin Sousa/ Imagn Images
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTristan Redman· Host0:00
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Mehreen Khan· Guest0:24
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Speaker 3· Soundbite0:33
[gentle music] Mashallah, mashallah, mashallah. Mashallah, mashallah, mashallah.
Tristan Redman· Host0:41
It's June 1998 in the French city of Lyon. Two football teams, or soccer teams if you like, have gathered for what's been called probably the most politically charged match in the history of the World Cup. [horn honking] Iran are about to play the USA in the group stages of the 1998 tournament. And in Lyon, the fans sound pretty chilled.
Speaker 11:09
It's all about football and nothing to do with politics.
Asma Khalid· Host1:10
You know, the politicians screwed up the relations between the two countries 20 years ago, and they [laughs] haven't been able to fix it since then.
Tristan Redman· Host1:16
But there's a ton of pressure coming down from the top. A US official has called this, quote, "The mother of all games." Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has ordered his players not to walk towards