Politics no stranger to World Cup, Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett says

LOS ANGELES – Politics at the World Cup is “nothing new”, Men in Blazers Media Network founder and CEO Roger Bennett said, arguing that the tournament has long been a stage where national history, culture and conflict travel with the teams onto the field.

Bennett, author of the new book We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History Of The World’s Greatest Sporting Event, said he wrote it with the 2026 World Cup in mind.

The men’s tournament returns to North America for the first time since 1994 and expands to a record 48 teams across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“The joy of the World Cup is that when two teams take the field, the nation’s histories, the nation’s politics, the nation’s cultures take the field alongside them,” he told Reuters.

It remains to be seen whether Iran take the field in June for their group-stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle amid US and Israeli air strikes against Tehran.

Iran’s sports minister has said that it was not possible for his nation’s athletes to participate. An official withdrawal by Iran from the event, which has not yet happened, would be a first in the modern era.

However, the UK-born Bennett said the geopolitical tension around Iran would not be unprecedented in World Cup history.

He recalled the US playing Iran at the 1998 World Cup in France amid lingering hostility from the 1979 hostage crisis, saying that many Americans tuned in less for the sport than for symbolism.

Bennett described the United States’ 2-1 defeat as a bruising moment for a men’s tournament, after Americans watched in hope of seeing their team “open up a can of whoop-ass on their nation’s greatest enemy”.

“That loss probably set football back 20 years in the US,” Bennett said.

He also said that pre-tournament anxiety about geopolitics and security has become part of the World Cup’s modern rhythm, citing past fears ahead of South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 that were later overtaken by the tournaments themselves.

World Cups, he added, remain “a mirror to the world that surrounds it” – even when the reflection is uncomfortable.

Aside from the politics, Bennett believes format changes are also part of the tournament’s history, referring to 2026 being the largest World Cup ever staged.

He acknowledged the logistical challenges posed by the tri-nation footprint and expanded number of teams, but expects the tournament to generate the same kind of “profound multi-generational memories” associated with past editions.

On favourites, Bennett predicts the eventual champion is likely to come from a familiar set of contenders.

Spain, he said, are “ferociously creative” and “gel together collectively”. France also fit the profile, he added.

England, whom he likened to “Sisyphus in cleats”, remain close to the summit in his view.

As a dark horse, Bennett picked Norway, citing their hunger to return to the tournament and the presence of striker Erling Haaland, whom he described in mythical terms for his scoring feats.

The author also said he remains emotionally invested in the American team, but expects Europe’s elite to set the benchmark as the world prepares for a 39-day tournament that carries far more than sport onto the pitch. REUTERS