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In Tucson, Arizona, the fate of 18 months of meticulous planning rests on uncertain ground. At the heart of this uncertainty is a state-of-the-art sports facility, where organizers are in constant dialogue with FIFA about hosting Iran’s national soccer team. The team’s World Cup ambitions are now threatened by escalating geopolitical tensions.
Iran’s national soccer team is slated to play its World Cup group stage games in the United States, with two matches set in Los Angeles and a third in Seattle. The team had chosen the expansive Kino Sports Complex in Tucson as their training base for the tournament, scheduled from June 11 to July 19.
However, this carefully laid plan has been jeopardized following recent U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran. These operations, which began last weekend, resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and have continued into their sixth day.
“There’s certainly a lot happening on the geopolitical front right now,” stated Sarah Horvath, the director of Kino Sports Complex, in a conversation with Reuters. “Despite the unrest, we are maintaining daily communication with FIFA. As of now, Team Iran is still expected to come, and we are eagerly anticipating their arrival.”
But those plans were thrown into doubt when the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran began last weekend with strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The campaign entered its sixth day on Thursday.
“We do know there’s a lot of geopolitical activities going on right now,” Sarah Horvath, director of the Kino Sports Complex, told Reuters. “That being said, we are in communication daily with FIFA. Team Iran is still coming here as of right now, we look forward to hosting them.”
Economic driver for the Tucson area
Iran qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup and were drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.
Teams were able to choose from a curated list provided by FIFA which cities they wanted to use as training camps and it was announced last month that Iran, who are 20th in the world rankings, selected the Kino Sports Complex.
The venue, which opened in 1998 and was originally built as a home for Major League Baseball Spring Training, spans more than 300 acres and has 22 soccer fields, including a professional level soccer stadium, among its amenities. It is also home to USL League Two side FC Tucson.
“Having a World Cup team train at our complex is a big economic driver for the area,” said Horvath, who added that the process to be officially selected as a base camp took 18 months.
She acknowledged there would be “a lot of sadness and an economic hit in Southern Arizona” if the training base goes unused, but expressed hope for a backup plan.
“If it’s not (Iran), we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to get a team here.”
Security measures identical for any team
FIFA did not immediately respond when asked for the latest on Iran’s World Cup status and whether another team would be assigned to the Tucson facility if they do not attend.
Horvath emphasized that security measures would be identical for any team training at Kino and that they are coordinating with local and federal law enforcement partners.
Earlier this week, Iran’s soccer chief Mehdi Taj indicated that U.S. and Israeli attacks “did not augur well” for the World Cup, adding that senior government officials would evaluate the situation before deciding on any action.
In recent decades, there has not been an instance when a qualified team has failed to take part in the World Cup finals. In order to retain the full 48-team World Cup field, Iran would almost certainly be replaced if they withdrew from the tournament.
For now, Tucson waits hopeful but uncertain as global events far beyond their control determine whether months of preparation will culminate in welcoming a World Cup team, or scrambling to fill an unexpected void.
Hosting Iran a ‘challenging situation’
Jon Pearlman, founder and president of FC Tucson, which was among the community partners involved in the bid process to make Kino a training base, struck an optimistic tone regarding Iran.
“We’re very optimistic that they’re going to train here. We think it’s going to happen,” he said, citing ongoing conversations with Horvath and FIFA.
Still, Pearlman acknowledged his group always understood hosting Iran would be a “challenging situation” given existing tensions.
His focus, he said, remains on what they can control: ensuring any visiting team is safe and viewed “in the best sense that they’re here for sporting purposes, not political ones, to compete on the field and to honor all the people of their country.”
But not everyone feels as confident that Iran will soon be at the complex sharpening their touch before the World Cup.
Lucas Gebremariam, owner of nearby Zerai’s International Bar, said while he would welcome the Iranian team for meals at his establishment, he remains doubtful that they will arrive in Tucson.
“Honestly, it feels pretty certain that they will not come,” Gebremariam said. “I’m not holding out much hope for, or optimism, that they will end up coming with the political climate the way it is right now.”
(Writing by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)