The surreal possibility hanging over Iran’s perilous World Cup campaign - WORLD CUP 2026: The hard truth is worth repeating: it is the first time in the World Cup’s 96-year history that a competing nation is at war with a host.

The idea that football can unite the world in troubled times may often sound like a cliché — but not when it comes from Alireza Jahanbakhsh. The veteran forward and captain of Iran, playing in his fourth and possibly final World Cup,

Iran's team has arrived in the US ahead of its opening World Cup match against New Zealand. But the team were met by protests in Los Angeles. It comes as the team's captain has insisted: "We are not getting involved in politics,

Group G at the 2026 World Cup features Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand and will get underway from June 15.

Having to enter the country a day before the game from Mexico and immediately afterwards is hardly an ideal situation, as Iran begin campaign against New Zealand

New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley brushed aside the political backdrop to his side's World Cup opener against Iran on Monday, saying his ​players were focused solely on football despite heightened attention surrounding the match.