Will War Overshadow the World Cup? (With Football Daily, part 2)

**Adam Fleming** (0:00)
This is the second episode of our three-part mini-series we're doing as a collab. Oh, I hate saying that word, I sound like I'm in Amanda land.
Although I like the idea of collaborating, the actual thing is good, because we're working with Americast and the Football Daily to look at some of the issues around the World Cup. So not necessarily the actual football, but the things that we'll be talking in addition to the football. And with Donald Trump involved, there's obviously gonna be some politics and some diplomacy happening there. And helping me out is somebody who watches a lot more football than I do. Marianna.

**Marianna Spring** (0:31)
Yes, I'm here to chat football and America and social media. And we are very lucky to also be joined by Anthony, who presents Americast with me, and also by Jon Murray, who presents Football Daily. And Jon, I wonder if, because in this episode, we're going to be talking about the tensions between the US and Iran.
Are there other World Cups where the host nation has been, or not even just the host nation, where various teams have been at war with one another?

**John Murray** (0:59)
I guess, I mean, the United States and Iran do have history. This is not the first time that they've been involved in the World Cup. They've played each other at World Cups in the past, in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, and also the Iranian hostage-taking crisis, you know, so they were still in the relatively recent memory. I can also remember the Euros when Denmark stepped in to replace Yugoslavia at the time of the Civil War in the Balkans in 1992
There were also tensions between Argentina and the teams from the UK at the World Cup in 82 and still in 86 after the Falklands War. And as well a very famous one was the match between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969, which helped along, it was the 100 days war between El Salvador and Honduras and tensions were raised by a World Cup qualifier between the two of them just when things were really reaching boiling point. And after that match, they spilled over and they actually went to war together.

**Adam Fleming** (2:05)
Jon, you are the least to say of the football commentary box.

**John Murray** (2:10)
There is no higher praise.

**Adam Fleming** (2:13)
Well, we'll be putting all those skills to use in this latest episode, looking at some of the political issues and the international issues and the issues of war and peace around the 2026 World Cup.

**Marianna Spring** (2:25)
America's, America's from BBC News.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:28)
It's going to be the world's largest sporting event ever hosted.

**Anthony Zurcher** (2:33)
But when the time is up, they'll have to go home.

**SPEAKER_6** (2:36)
FIFA is making $11 billion off of this World Cup.

**SPEAKER_7** (2:40)
If somebody buys a ticket for the final two million dollars, I would personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke.

**SPEAKER_6** (2:45)
It is such a unifying event.

**Anthony Zurcher** (2:47)
It is also about winning.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:49)
I may put on shorts.

**SPEAKER_7** (2:50)
I have an extremely good influence.

**Anthony Zurcher** (2:52)
Enjoying the play.

**Adam Fleming** (2:58)
Hello, it's Adam from Newscast.

**Marianna Spring** (3:00)
And it is Marianna in the worldwide headquarters of AmeriCast, but currently this sort of collab station, as we'll call it.

**Anthony Zurcher** (3:07)
And it's Anthony in the American headquarters of AmeriCast and home to World Cup matches very, very soon.

**John Murray** (3:13)
And John Murray sitting at my desk where I'm preparing for my commentaries at the forthcoming World Cup.

**Adam Fleming** (3:20)
And we're recording the second episode on Thursday, the 4th of June, mid afternoon. So it reflects the world as it is as we're sitting here in the studio and our various home studios and international bureaus as well. So first of all, let's zoom in on the situation with Iran. And I don't mean the war between the US and Israel and Iran. I mean Iran's presence at the World Cup. And John, is it true that Iran by sort of quirk of fate, were one of the first few teams to actually qualify?

**John Murray** (3:46)
Well, they were, but obviously everything has changed over the recent months in the immediate buildup to this World Cup.
And really, this is the, of all of the issues that we've got. And there are many, many issues surrounding this World Cup. You know, this is top of the tree, isn't it? Because of the proximity and everything that's been going on over the course of recent weeks.

**Adam Fleming** (4:08)
And Anthony, do we know if the Iranian football team are actually going to be allowed to play? Whether they'll be able to play in the US, whether they'll be able to enter the US? What's the deal at the moment?