Singaporean fans press ahead with World Cup plans despite uncertainty caused by Middle East war

SINGAPORE – A deadly, escalating conflict between US-Israeli forces and Iran has cast a shadow over the 2026 World Cup, but several Singaporean football fans are still pressing ahead with their trips to North America for the world’s biggest sporting event.

With less than 90 days to the June 11 kick-off, the tournament’s build-up has been overshadowed by the sprawling war with front lines across the Middle East. It has resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 Iranians, including then supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 13 American soldiers.

Hundreds more have been killed across the region, including in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Israel.

Amid the geopolitical chaos that has caused cancelled flights and rising fuel prices, local fans tell The Straits Times the show must go on.

Danny Lee, who works in the food and beverage industry, booked his trip with a friend in February to watch two group-stage matches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

They will catch the Netherlands’ game against Japan on June 14 and Croatia’s match with England three days later.

The pair paid around $10,000 each for a week in Dallas, covering accommodation, tickets and transport.

“We’re not getting any younger and it was time to tick it off the bucket list,” said the 55-year-old, who ruled out cities in blue states, expecting them to be more “chaotic” and narrowed it down to Dallas or Miami, before settling on the former.

While the Middle East conflict did lead Lee and his friend to mull over whether to proceed, he said they decided that they “should not worry too much”.

“We talked about it. But I felt the war wouldn’t come to US soil,” said Lee. “The US, rightfully, should be safe. I think (US President Donald) Trump won’t allow anything to happen on US soil during the World Cup.”

V. Subramanian and his group of five friends are also going ahead with their trip.

They have secured tickets to watch a June 21 match in Los Angeles, where Belgium are scheduled to meet Iran, as well as one game each in Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Iran’s participation, however, hangs in the balance. Its sports minister said last week it was not possible for Iranian players to take part in the tournament, unless their two matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle were moved.

The Iranian football federation said on March 16 that it is negotiating with FIFA to have their three matches held in Mexico. Mr Trump has said the Iranian team were “welcome” in the US for the tournament but added that he did not believe it was appropriate for them to “be there, for their own life and safety”.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said her nation would have no qualms hosting Iran’s matches, if FIFA approves.

But FIFA appeared to rule out relocating the fixtures, with a spokesperson saying on March 17 that it is looking forward to “all participating teams competing as per the match schedule”.

Each match ticket cost Subramanian around $600 and while the 48-year-old administrative assistant declined to reveal the total cost of his trip, he noted that accommodation “is expensive, but that’s due to demand, especially in LA and Mexico City”.

He added: “I don’t think world events will directly affect the World Cup. The world was already in a fragile state when FIFA awarded the hosting rights to Canada, the US and Mexico.

“I doubt anything will change in the next three months. I suppose we should be more concerned about the police and security in the US.

“We will keep things brief in the US while spending most of our time in Mexico, where I believe it will be safer and more festive, given the country’s football-mad culture.”

“My friends and I have been saving for two years, and it is a dream of ours to watch the World Cup live and experience it,” he added.

Arifalina Zahrah and her husband Aide Kurniawan believe that it would be safe in the US during the June 11-July 19 tournament.

The couple have planned a trip to the US to mark their third wedding anniversary in July.

While they have yet to snag match tickets – Aide has been through two unsuccessful ballot rounds and is pinning his hopes on the final release of tickets in April – they have booked their flights to Los Angeles.

On whether she had felt the need to cancel her trip, Arifalina, 29, who works in the aviation industry, said: “If the World Cup is still going on there, that’s a good indicator that safety precautions will be in place.

“When you have millions of travellers going to the US for this, you would expect some form of stability. I expect that things would have calmed down by June.”

Aaron Kok, founder of boutique sports travel agency 1896 Travel, said demand for 2026 World Cup travel packages has been markedly lower compared to the previous edition four years ago.

He noted that while travel from Singapore to Qatar for the 2022 tournament was relatively manageable, the significantly greater distance to North America has been a key deterrent.

While close to 60 people had signed up through his agency for the 2022 World Cup, this time around, the number is only about 30, he said.

Kok added that some of his customers have contacted him recently to seek advice after the Middle East war started on Feb 28.

He said: “We lay out the possible scenarios and make clear the decision to proceed is entirely theirs. We don’t paint an overly optimistic picture. But my own opinion is that I have always viewed the World Cup as the safest time to visit a country, and that held true for Brazil, Russia and South Africa.”

Kok himself and seven others will be going to Mexico to watch several matches.

Others whom ST spoke to have also opted for matches in Mexico instead of the US or Canada, highlighting that the football culture there is richer and would make for better atmospheres.

“My friends and I, we are all going without our families, and Mexico is somewhere we wouldn’t bring our families to because of safety reasons, so being all guys, we said, ‘Let’s go somewhere we’d otherwise never go to’,” said Kok.

But Mexico, too, has been in the news for the wrong reasons in the lead-up to the World Cup. Guadalajara erupted in cartel violence in February, along with other parts of Mexico, after an army raid left notorious drug kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, dead.

Guadalajara will host four World Cup matches, all of which are group-stage games at the Estadio Chivas.

Despite a prevailing sense of gloom that has tempered expectations for football’s global showpiece, Kok remains optimistic that the outlook will improve come June.

He said: “This World Cup lets you go deep into the culture of each host city. And from my experience in Russia and other tournaments, the host country is always incredibly welcoming to foreign fans. It is truly an enriching experience to watch games live.

“My hope and my belief is that it will be a chance for people to take a break from whatever else is happening in the world and people will enjoy football and bond with other fans.”