The World Cup, like the Olympic Games, has always been a political event. It’s hard to combine so many nations in one place for an event without certain geopolitical issues looming in the background, transcending sport and casting a shadow over the event. Nonetheless, the pivotal game between the United States and Iran on Tuesday has reached unprecedented heights.
The World Cup match between the United States and Iran is a geopolitical disaster.
There is hardly no focus on soccer in the run-up to the game. This has devolved into a worldwide political struggle taking place on the biggest stage in sports, and it’s a terrible mess – regardless of what happens on Tuesday. So let us try to comprehend the context and significance of why this game is so much more than just soccer.
It goes without saying that relations between the US and Iran have been tense for the past 75 years. The United States was a prominent player (together with the United Kingdom) in the 1953 coup that established Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as Shah, a move that enraged a significant portion of Iranian citizens. Pahlavi was toppled after the Iranian revolution of 1977, and ties between the US and Iran reached a low point in 1979 when the US Embassy in Tehran was taken, resulting in a year-long hostage crisis. As a result, Iran has faced economic sanctions for the past 43 years.
The World Cup match between the United States and Iran is a geopolitical disaster.
We may fast-forward to 2022 without reliving the last four decades of the US-Iran diplomatic rollercoaster. For much of the year, relations between the two countries have been deteriorating, with the State Department announcing a slew of condemnations ranging from Hezbollah’s petrochemical sales to further penalties against Iranian individuals who supplied Russia with drones for their invasion of Ukraine.
The Mahsa Amini protests, which are still ongoing, brought everything to a head in September. Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died after being imprisoned by Iran’s “Guidance Patrol,” the country’s Islamic law enforcement arm, for wearing a “improper” hijab, or head scarf. Amini’s killing sparked significant protests throughout Iran, with thousands of people, mostly women, removing their hijabs and demanding social change as a result.