Things are heating up between the US and Iran, with just days to go before they kick off in the World Cup 2026. But it’s not the first time the tournament has got a bit touchy…
England's Historic Victory in 1966
Iran’s football team looks set to take part in the FIFA World Cup, despite its ongoing conflict with co-hosts, the United States. However, ahead of Iran’s first match against New Zealand on Tuesday, its football federation says the country’s ticket allocation has been revoked. And, as James Moore reveals, it’s not the first controversy around a nation’s participation in the tournament…
Champs Go Missing
In 1934 the World Cup was held in Italy, but the reigning champions, Uruguay, refused to go in protest at most European nations shunning the first tournament, which the South American country had hosted four years earlier. England also declined to take part, preferring its British Home Championship, with FA member Charles Sutcliffe unkindly branding the World Cup “a joke.”
Nazi Problem
Argentina joined Uruguay in boycotting the 1938 World Cup, when France was given the job of hosting it, as the South American nations believed the contest should have been rotated between continents. Darker was the fact that Austria was forced to pull out following invasion by Adolf Hitler’s Germany, while Italian dictator Benito Mussolini made the Azzurri side wear black strips. Spain’s civil war also ruled out its participation.
Gave It the Boot
At the 1948 Olympics in London, India’s football team competed barefoot – their traditional way of playing the sport. For the 1950 World Cup, held in Brazil, FIFA banned teams from competing bootless, but it’s a myth that India pulled out because of the decree, with officials citing travel costs and team selection issues for not turning out. The legacy of World War Two meant Germany and Japan were also absent.
African Anger
England might have famously won the World Cup in 1966, but the finals were held without any African nations. All 15 who had entered decided to boycott the event after FIFA decided not to give the continent a specific slot at the tournament. There was only one place to be fought over with Asia and Oceania. FIFA had banned South Africa because of the country’s racist Apartheid regime and shunned its suggestion to send an ‘all white team’.
Goal War
The communist Soviet Union didn’t make it to the 1974 World Cup in West Germany after refusing to play the second leg of their qualifying play off in Chile, following the right-wing coup in the country that had brought General Augusto Pinochet to power. Bizarrely, the fixture still went ahead with the Chilean players kicking the ball into an empty net.
Putin It Off
Russia may have hosted the 2018 World Cup, but after its leader Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, FIFA took the decision to ban the country from all international football competitions including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and this year’s tournament too.
