"We welcome them with open arms." That's the line coming out of Tucson, Arizona — a city that's busy watering grass to FIFA-regulation height and locking in hotel rooms for a football team whose country is at war with the nation hosting the tournament.
The Kino Sports Complex is fully operational as Iran's designated World Cup training base, with 12 to 20 FIFA check-in meetings a week, ice baths prepped, weight rooms ready, and security tight. Facility director Sarah Hanna is unequivocal: "As far as we're concerned, it's 100 percent on, and it's never been off."
That confidence deserves some credit, because the backdrop here is genuinely complicated.
War, blockades, and a Trump tweet
The US-Israeli military operation against Iran began on February 28. Iran responded with strikes on Israel, US military bases across the Middle East, and energy infrastructure. A ceasefire has been in place for a month, but Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz and the US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Calling it "resolved" would be generous.
Into that context, Trump posted in March that while Iran's players were "welcome," it might not be "appropriate" for their "own life and safety." The president of Iran's football federation fired back last Friday by confirming participation — but attaching a list of demands around visas and staff treatment.
FIFA, for its part, has insisted the tournament proceeds as planned. That's their only real option. Pulling Iran would set a precedent that would haunt every future World Cup held in politically complicated territory — which is most of them.
Group G and what's at stake on the pitch
If Iran does make it to the field, they open against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, face Belgium six days later in the same city, then close Group G against Egypt on June 21 in Seattle. That's a group with a navigable path — New Zealand and Egypt represent winnable games — but Belgium adds real quality to the equation.
The uncertainty around Iran's participation makes any Group G markets genuinely difficult to read right now. A squad that's been training under these conditions, potentially dealing with visa complications and political pressure right up to the tournament, isn't a squad operating at full psychological capacity. That matters when the margins are this tight.
Jon Pearlman, president of FC Tucson, put it simply: "We believe the game is something that brings nations together, not drives them apart." Fine sentiment. The Iran football federation's list of demands suggests they're not yet convinced the sentiment matches the reality.
