分类： sports

For decades, Iran’s journey in the FIFA World Cup has been inextricably intertwined with the nation’s political and social upheavals. But the 2026 tournament, hosted in part by the United States, has brought the country’s national team, Team Melli, into an uncharted maelstrom of competing pressures that no other side in the competition’s history has had to navigate.

Team Melli’s opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles falls just one day after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a landmark tentative deal with Iran’s government, a development that could bring a close to three and a half months of open conflict. The location of the match alone adds layers of tension: Los Angeles is widely nicknamed “Tehrangeles,” home to one of the largest Iranian diaspora communities in the world, the majority of which hold staunch anti-regime views. Back in Iran, public support for the national team is deeply divided, with many Iranians viewing the side as a symbol of the ruling government rather than a unifying national representative. This rift has deepened dramatically after the government’s reported crackdown on mass anti-government protests earlier this year that left thousands of demonstrators dead.

“There is a long history of politics mixing with football in Iran,” explained Jahanyar Mohebbi, a former head coach of Iran Pro League side Foolad FC. “The players feel the pressure from all sides – the politicians, the fans in the U.S. and at home.” This pattern of political entanglement stretches back to Iran’s very first World Cup appearance in 1978. As the squad traveled to Argentina for the tournament, revolution was already sweeping across the country, and the Shah’s government tried to insulate the team from growing domestic unrest. Iran’s star player Parviz Ghleechkhani, who passed away just last month, was barred from the tournament after the Shah’s secret police detained and questioned him over his outspoken political views. Even the team’s legendary goalkeeper Nasser Hejazi, who turned heads with his standout performances in Argentina, missed out on a historic transfer to English powerhouse Manchester United after the revolution disrupted all transfer negotiations.

After the 1979 revolution established the Islamic Republic, the new government under Ayatollah Ali Khomeini remained wary of football, recognizing the sport’s unmatched ability to mobilize mass passion and public discontent. That wariness was validated in 1997, when Iran defeated Australia in a playoff in Melbourne to qualify for the 1998 World Cup. Widespread spontaneous celebrations across Iran grew so large that the team was ordered to delay their return home to let public tensions subside. That qualification set the stage for one of the most politically charged matches in World Cup history: Iran’s group stage clash with the United States in Lyon. Ahead of the game, then-U.S. President Bill Clinton released a public message of goodwill, and Iranian players presented flowers to their American opponents before securing a 2-1 victory. “Every day somebody from the government, from sports officials, they were asking about the game and demanding a win,” recalled Jalal Talebi, Iran’s head coach at the 1998 tournament. “What I tried to tell the players was, ‘Forget what they said – it’s all politics.’ I knew exactly how much pressure they were carrying.”

In the decades that followed, political undertones remained a constant in Iran’s World Cup campaigns. The 2006 tournament brought less international tension, but controversy emerged from within the squad, with reported deep divisions between supporters of star players Ali Daei and Ali Karimi. Karimi later made headlines during 2010 World Cup qualifiers when he and several other players wore green armbands, a gesture widely interpreted as a show of support for opposition protesters contesting the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Most recently, at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, protest took center stage again: following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in morality police custody for allegedly violating hijab laws, the entire Iranian squad refused to sing the national anthem before their opening match against England, a silent rebuke of the government that drew global attention.

Beyond the political and social pressures, longstanding international isolation has systematically held Iranian football back. On a practical level, the Iranian Football Federation frequently struggles to access prize money and funding from international governing bodies held in overseas accounts. There has been chronic underinvestment in training facilities and international training camps for the national team, the domestic league has fallen behind other top leagues in the Middle East, and leading international nations routinely refuse to schedule friendly matches against Iran. While Japan, the first team to qualify for 2026, has prepared for the tournament with high-profile tune-up matches against Brazil, England, the U.S. and Mexico, Iran has only been able to arrange warm-up games against Russia, Tanzania, Costarica, Nigeria and Gambia.

Yet for all these systemic obstacles, Iran has consistently qualified for World Cup tournaments and remains the second-highest ranked men’s national team in Asia, trailing only Japan. The 2026 campaign, however, represents the most daunting challenge the side has ever faced. Until just days before the tournament, there was open uncertainty over whether the entire Iranian squad would even be granted entry to the United States, forcing the team to relocate its pre-tournament training camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, on the U.S. border.

Mohebbi noted that the chaotic preparation has brought one unexpected upside: “Usually national teams arrive at the tournament exhausted after a long domestic season, but Iran have had a long break and have been training almost like a club side.” That advantage is outweighed by significant drawbacks, though: the Iranian domestic league was canceled back in February, leaving players without competitive match action for months, and constant logistical uncertainty has created pervasive anxiety. “The most challenging thing is the logistics,” Mohebbi added. “Will they even be allowed to train at the stadium a day in advance, or will they just show up for the match? That uncertainty makes everything much harder.”

Team captain Mehdi Taremi, who is competing at his third World Cup, echoed those frustrations after several members of the Iranian delegation were denied U.S. visas. “I’ve been to three World Cups, and they always say once you get off the plane and enter the host country, there’s just a unique atmosphere of friendliness and global connection,” Taremi told ESPN. “Unfortunately, I’m not feeling it right now. There’s a lot of tension right now in this World Cup, you can feel it in the atmosphere, and it’s because of actions like these visa denials.” Still, Taremi emphasized that the squad remains united, regardless of differing views on the Iranian government. “Obviously some people outside Iran, many here, are against the government, but we are all Iranian,” he said. “We are united and we are looking for peace. I think they will come there to support us, and we have to bring them joy.”

For the players, anxiety extends far beyond logistics and visa issues, as they remain constantly concerned about loved ones back in Iran amid ongoing unrest. “It’s been very difficult, I’ll be honest with you, for every single one of us with the whole situation back home,” said winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh. “You have to keep checking on your family, on your loved ones, on your people back home, and of course it’s affecting the whole group.” As the team takes the pitch in Los Angeles, all eyes will be on how the 11 players caught in the middle of global political conflict will perform under the weight of unprecedented pressure.

In a thrilling conclusion to their three-match Twenty20 International series in Kingston, Jamaica, the West Indies pulled off a last-over five-wicket win against Sri Lanka on Sunday, clinching the series 2-1 with just two deliveries remaining. The dramatic run chase, capped by batter Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten half-century, capped a seesaw contest that kept spectators on the edge of their seats from the first over to the last.

After winning the pre-match toss, West Indies captain made the tactical call to send Sri Lanka into bat first, a decision vindicated by seamer Shamar Joseph’s career-best player-of-the-match performance. The fast bowler picked up five wickets for just 33 runs, including two strikes in the sixth over and three more in the final over of Sri Lanka’s batting innings, narrowly missing out on a hat-trick twice.

Sri Lanka got off to a fast start, reaching 49 for one after just five overs, but the momentum shifted abruptly when Joseph claimed wickets on back-to-back deliveries. First, opener Pathum Nissanka (26 off 17) top-edged a pull to Roston Chase after sharing a 43-run second-wicket stand, before Pavan Rathnayake was trapped lbw on the very next ball. The host’s fielding also delivered early: Matthew Forde pulled off a spectacular one-handed catch off his own bowling to remove dangerous batter Kusal Mendis for just five in the ninth over of the match.

A late lower-order rally led by Dunith Wellalage dragged Sri Lanka to a competitive total of 169 all out. Wellalage anchored the recovery with a 28-ball 43, and shared a 49-run seventh-wicket partnership with Wanindu Hasaranga, but the stand was broken when Hasaranga was run out in the 19th over. Wellalage became the first of three Sri Lankan wickets to fall in the 20th over, closing out the visitors’ innings and setting the West Indies a target of 170 runs for victory.

The West Indies chase got off to a shaky start, losing opener Shai Hope to Dunith Wellalage on just the third delivery of the innings. The hosts recovered quickly to reach 52 for one, before a collapse that saw three wickets fall for just one run in a 12-ball period handed the momentum back to Sri Lanka. Rutherford, who would eventually become the innings hero, combined with captain Rovman Powell to rebuild the chase, putting on an 81-run fifth-wicket partnership that got the West Indies back on track for victory.

The contest turned chaotic in the 17th over, bowled by Sri Lankan paceman Dushmantha Chameera. The over stretched to nine deliveries after a no-ball and two wides, yielded 24 runs for the West Indies, and ended with Powell being dismissed for 33 off the final ball. After the over, the West Indies still needed 36 runs from the final three overs, with the equation narrowing to 29 runs from 12 balls by the start of the 19th over.

All-rounder Jason Holder turned the game irreversibly in the West Indies’ favor in the penultimate over, smashing three sixes off Chameera in just four deliveries. The blitz cut the required runs down to just six for victory heading into the final over, with Rutherford still at the crease. Rutherford, who had benefited from two costly dropped catches by Sri Lankan fielders earlier in his innings, hit the winning runs to bring up his half-century off 40 balls, finishing unbeaten on 54. Holder ended the innings on 21 not out from just five deliveries, as the West Indies reached 170 for five to seal the series.

The series win for the West Indies comes after the first two matches were split: the hosts won the opening fixture by seven wickets, before Sri Lanka claimed a 37-run victory in the second match on Saturday to leave the series tied heading into the decider. Prior to the T20I series, Sri Lanka claimed the preceding three-match ODI series 1-0, after the final two matches were washed out by rain following a 41-run win in the opening fixture. The two sides will next face off in a two-match Test series, scheduled to get underway on June 25 in Antigua.

An international incident sparked widespread public outrage after a Mexican man made a widely recognized anti-Asian racist gesture during a World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic, held in Guadalajara, Mexico last Thursday. The perpetrator, Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, who served as president of the College of Geomatics and Topographic Surveying Engineers of Jalisco (CITGEJ), has since issued a public apology and been removed from his leadership position over the offensive act. The incident was captured by popular South Korean content creator Yoon Su-jin, better known online by her alias Ino Cat, who boasts 6.6 million YouTube subscribers and more than 2 million TikTok followers. Yoon posted the clip to her Instagram, documenting the moment Bernal, seated directly behind her in the stadium stands, pulled the corners of his eyes into a slanted shape — a gesture long understood as a demeaning, racist mockery of East Asian people — before laughing at the action. In her caption accompanying the viral video, Yoon wrote: “You traveled across the world for the World Cup… and experienced racism…” The clip quickly spread across major social media platforms, amassing more than 65,000 comments and at least 120,000 shares or reposts within days. The overwhelming majority of reactions condemned Bernal’s behavior, with many commenters expressing disgust at the casual, unapologetic racism on display. One widely liked comment read: “Ugh so terrible. And then he laughs like he cracked the best joke.” Notably, dozens of commenters identifying themselves as Mexican also issued collective apologies on behalf of their compatriot, stressing that Bernal’s offensive actions do not represent the views or behavior of the broader Mexican population. In the wake of the viral backlash, leadership of CITGEJ confirmed to the New York Post that Bernal had been removed from his post as organization president. Two days after the incident, on Sunday, Bernal released a formal public apology addressing the widespread circulation of the clip and the heated public reaction it sparked. “For that reason, I believe it is important to offer a public apology,” he wrote in the statement. “I sincerely regret everything this situation has caused. I have taken time to reflect on what happened and I understand the responsibility I have in this moment.” Bernal declined to attempt to justify his action or debate varying interpretations of the gesture, adding: “Throughout my personal and professional life, I have always tried to treat others with respect, and I will continue working to ensure that my actions consistently reflect those values.” The match itself ended with South Korea staging a second-half comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic.

The old adage holds that consistency paves the way for long-term success, but for Tunisia’s national men’s football team, decades of reliable qualification have turned into a heavy burden of unmet expectation ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

For nearly 30 years, the Carthage Eagles have outperformed most of their North African and regional rivals in major tournament qualifications. Since 1998, they have booked their spot at twice as many World Cup finals as any neighboring nation, and hold an unmatched continental record: 17 consecutive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifications dating back to 1994. This streak of steady performance earned them the nickname “the Germans of Africa” among football observers.

Yet for all their routine qualification success, Tunisia has failed to carve out the iconic, memorable legacy that smaller, less consistent teams from the region have built. Algeria captured global admiration for its deep run at the 2014 World Cup, while Morocco made history by reaching the semi-finals in 2022. Even Saudi Arabia, which has suffered multiple lopsided defeats at World Cup tournaments, boasts one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history: a 2-1 victory over eventual champion Argentina at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Tunisian fans have long craved a similarly unforgettable milestone, but once-steady hope has gradually shifted to cynicism. Simply reaching the World Cup — a feat that eludes dozens of capable football nations every cycle — is no longer celebrated as an achievement on its own. For a side that has delivered consistent results for decades, fans expect more than just early-round exits, and frustration has grown over the team’s pragmatic, often uninspiring style of play.

“If this team wins a game, it will never be by more than one goal. Given how they play, the maximum we can hope for is two points from three group stage matches,” veteran Tunisian journalist Maher Mezahi noted, echoing the sentiment of many disappointed supporters. One African football journalist added to Middle East Eye earlier this month: “A young football fan watching the World Cup at home will never pick Tunisia as their second favorite team. They have no breakout star players catching the global eye, and they don’t play attractive, exciting football.”

It is important to contextualize Tunisia’s achievements, however. The core of the nation’s decades-long consistency has been an unshakable team spirit, a trait that has proven critical in the grueling, physically and mentally draining African qualification cycle. Away matches in African qualifying are notoriously hostile, and success often comes down to a squad’s ability to stay united under extreme pressure. That is a challenge that more star-studded sides have failed to overcome this cycle: both Cameroon and Nigeria, packed with globally recognized talent, missed out on the 2026 World Cup largely due to internal disarray and poor cohesion. Tunisia, by contrast, sealed its qualification without conceding a single goal.

This unyielding determination has a name among fans and analysts: grinta. Borrowed from Italian, the term is widely used across the Mediterranean to describe courage, grit and unrelenting fighting spirit — qualities that have defined Tunisian football for generations.

What many local supporters overlook is the steep structural disadvantage Tunisia faces compared to its regional rivals. With a total population of just over 12 million, the nation has a far smaller talent pool than neighbors Morocco (37 million) and Algeria (45 million), both of which also have much larger European diasporas to draw elite talent from. Wealthier rivals like Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have far deeper financial resources to invest in football development, while the World Bank classifies Tunisia as a lower-middle-income country.

Two decades of persistent economic stagnation have forced Tunisian football to operate with tight budget constraints, forcing smart, frugal investment to stay competitive. Top-flight Tunisian clubs rarely offer large contracts to players, and foreign managers have become increasingly rare: as of 2026, only two of the 16 clubs in Tunisia’s top division employ a foreign manager.

These financial limitations have also pushed clubs to prioritize youth talent development over buying established stars, a strategy that has turned Tunisian football into a respected talent incubator for overlooked players across the African continent. For example, Baghdad Bounedjah, Algeria’s all-time leading men’s international goalscorer, was ignored by clubs in his home country before signing with Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel in 2013. Just one year later, he earned a call-up to the Algerian national team, and moved to Qatari side Al Sadd for a $3.8 million transfer in 2016. In recent years, Tunisia has expanded its talent export market to Europe, with promising young players moving abroad earlier in their careers — a trend born of economic necessity, as government funding for football has declined and revenue from television rights and merchandising remains limited.

In the wake of Morocco’s historic 2022 World Cup run, Tunisian fans are more eager than ever to see their side reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the nation’s history. Many local analysts hold out cautious optimism for the 2026 tournament. “I am naturally an optimistic person when it comes to our chances,” said the founder of ActuFootTunisie, a leading local outlet covering Tunisian football. “Tunisia is capable of finishing second in the group, but we have to stay realistic. A third-place finish that earns a spot as one of the best third-placed teams is achievable. It would be a first for our country and a fantastic result for us.”

This year, however, the traditional grit and cohesion of the squad is facing an unprecedented test, after new manager Sabri Lamouchi launched a complete overhaul of the national squad. Only five players from Tunisia’s 2022 World Cup squad retained their spots for 2026, and several senior stars — including former captains Ferjani Sassi, Ali Maaloul and Yassine Meriah — were left off the roster entirely.

One of the most controversial new additions is Germany-born midfielder Rani Khedira, who previously rejected overtures from the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF), telling German media in 2015, “There was never any thought of playing for Tunisia.” Khedira’s selection over fan favorites Aissa Laidouni and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane has angered many supporters. The ActuFootTunisie founder notes that the decision is frustrating, given that other candidates played every minute of the qualifying campaign, and Khedira’s last-minute call-up can come off as opportunistic. “But now that he’s here, he represents our country, he’s Tunisian, so we support him,” he added, noting that the rest of the squad selection is strong. “It’s a good group with lots of young players, unlike previous squads that relied too much on veteran players. This group has real potential.”

The 2026 squad reflects this youth focus: 12 of the 26 players were born in the 21st century, including teenager Khalil Ayari, who had only been a professional for 18 months before moving from Stade Tunisien to Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The squad renewal came after a string of underwhelming results that made clear the old approach was no longer working. Tunisia turned in poor performances at two major tournaments in the lead-up to 2026: at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, the side opened with a 1-0 loss to Syria, then blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Palestine, crashing out in the group stage. The Carthage Eagles did reach the knockout round of the 2025 AFCON a month later, but turned in unconvincing performances and were outclassed by top African sides. After Tunisia’s Round of 16 elimination at the hands of Mali, star midfielder Hannibal Mejbri did not mince words about the state of the nation’s football program.

“We are behind in our football development, that’s the plain truth — we lag behind in so many areas,” said the Premier League star. “All of the leaders of Tunisian football need to sit down together and ask the hard questions, honestly.”

The FTF’s response to that call for change came in January 2026, when the body hired Lamouchi, a former French international of Tunisian descent, to lead the national side. The hire was widely seen as an effort to appease fans who had grown frustrated with six straight local managers holding the job since 2018. When Lamouchi was introduced to the press, he promised sweeping change, and the heavily reshuffled 26-man squad delivers on that promise.

Even with the promised renewal, the squad selection has not been without controversy. A recent investigative report claimed that some of Lamouchi’s selections were forced by FTF executives, who mandated a quota of players from Tunisia’s biggest clubs to secure more FIFA compensation. FIFA pays participating clubs $10,950 per player per day for releasing their players for the World Cup, with total compensation for the 2022 tournament exceeding $209 million globally.

The claims are a serious black mark for the new FTF leadership, coming on the heels of a major corruption scandal that brought down the federation’s previous regime. Former FTF president Wadie Jary was arrested in 2023, and is currently serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of corruption and match-fixing. Many members of the new leadership — including current FTF president Moez Nasri and vice president Hussein Jenayah — were close allies of Jary during his tenure.

As Tunisia prepares to travel to the 2026 World Cup in North America, questions far outnumber answers regarding the inner workings of the FTF, the long-term financial health of Tunisian football, and whether a heavily reshuffled squad can retain the grinta that carried the team to qualification for decades. This is Lamouchi’s first major tournament as Tunisia’s manager, and only five veterans remain from the 2022 squad that had no shortage of the famous fighting spirit, even with its other flaws.

Only time will tell whether a new manager and a youth-focused squad overhaul can deliver Tunisia’s first-ever trip to the World Cup knockout stage. But for critics like Mezahi, the outlook is not positive. “If this team wins a game, it won’t be by more than one goal,” he said. “And given their style of play, the ceiling might be just two points from three group games.”