US President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup .
Image: AFP
With the 2026 World Cup in North America just a few months away, FIFA could find themselves in a hole they’ve dug for themselves if the United States launches a ground invasion against Iran.
When world football’s governing body, along with European counterpart UEFA, banned Russia from the sport in 2022, the reason given was the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At the time, both bodies said they were united “in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine”.
“Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people,” FIFA and UEFA said in a joint statement.
That commitment to unity and peace now stands in stark contrast to the governing body’s present stance on what is happening in Iran.
FIFA, perhaps worried about the World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, have been conspicuously silent after Donald Trump, supported by Israel, launched a war with surprise airstrikes on sites and cities across Iran, killing the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the process.
Reports now suggest that after weeks of air strikes, the Pentagon is preparing to begin ground operations in Iran, potentially including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
This could put FIFA between a rock and a hard place as not too long ago, they awarded Trump their inaugural Peace Prize to recognise his efforts in mediating international conflicts. Now, in launching an attack against Iran, the former reality TV star is responsible for possibly the biggest global conflict in years.
If the United States does proceed with a full-scale ground invasion, FIFA’s credibility will be tested in ways it has rarely experienced before. Having set a precedent with Russia, the governing body can no longer lean on silence without inviting accusations of double standards and political convenience.
With the world watching and the 2026 showpiece looming, FIFA must decide whether its principles apply universally or only when it is politically and commercially safe to enforce them – because in moments like this, neutrality can be seen as being a statement in itself.
IOL Sport
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