World Cup 2026: Politics, MENA Participation and Global Dynamics
The 2026 World Cup, currently in its final stages across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, has served as a flashpoint for global political tensions. While the expanded tournament features ten nations from the Middle East and North Africa, the competition unfolds against the backdrop of a war on Iran, involving Lebanon and Yemen.
The Geopolitics of an Expanded Tournament
The 2026 edition of the tournament represents a shift in participation, with ten Middle Eastern and North African nations taking the field. According to the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP), this increased representation follows the momentum established by Morocco’s performance in Qatar in 2022.
Sabiha Allouche, a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Exeter’s Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, notes that the dominance of traditional powerhouses—France, Spain, Argentina, and England—remains tied to colonial and diasporic dynamics.
Host Nation Policies and the Shadow of War
The 2026 World Cup is hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, while the United States and Israel are engaged in a war on Iran that has entangled its allies in the region as well as Lebanon and Yemen.
Historical Context and the Business of Football
As Nabil al-Tikriti, professor of history at the University of Mary Washington, points out, the sport is never truly separate from the political machinations of the states that fund and promote it.
Resource Curation for Further Inquiry
Significant reading for those tracking these developments includes:
- Middle East Report Issue 304, Football–Politics and Passion (2022)
- Clive Chijioke Nwonka and Matthew Harle, Black Arsenal: Club, Culture, Identity (2025)
- John McManus, Welcome to Hell? In Search of the Real Turkish Football (2019)
- Mickaël Correia, A People’s History of Football (2023)
- Simon Kuper, World Cup Fever: A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments (2026)