Around two and a half months before the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, Iran decides to ban its athletes from traveling to “hostile” countries. What does this mean for the World Cup?
About two and a half months before the start of the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, Iran has banned its national teams and sports clubs from traveling to countries classified as “hostile” until further notice. The Iranian news agency Isna reports this, citing security risks for the athletes.
On February 28, the USA and Israel began carrying out air strikes on Iran. Since then, Tehran has responded to Israel, several Gulf states and US facilities in the region with missile and drone attacks.
In the summer, Iran was scheduled to play against New Zealand and Belgium in the preliminary round of the World Cup (June 11 to July 19) in Los Angeles, followed by a match against Egypt in Seattle. The team was due to move into its World Cup quarters in Tucson, Arizona. However, it is questionable whether the team will still compete in the World Cup.
Turmoil surrounding the women’s national team
The Iranian women’s national football team recently caused an international stir. At the opening match of the Asian Championship in Australia at the beginning of March against South Korea (0:3), the team refrained from singing the national anthem, as a result of which the players were labeled “traitors” in their home country.
Originally, seven members of the team applied for asylum after the tournament for fear of reprisals in their home country, but most of them withdrew their applications – so “only” two players remained in Brisbane, Australia.