US could see boycott of Soccer World Cup if war on Iran drags: Expert

Former research director of the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge, Professor John Keiger, predicts that countries could boycott the 2026 Soccer World Cup should the war on Iran continue beyond six weeks.

Trump earlier this month projected that the war would go on for four to five weeks.

However, the war has now entered its fifth week, with the United States sending more than 35,000 troops to the Middle East as the war shifts beyond airstrikes to a broader fight over shipping lanes and oil infrastructure.

“If the war can be finished very quickly, I think that the world will forget that it is America that is hosting the World Cup and (people) will all attend it and there won’t be any boycotts. But should the war continue, then I’m fairly sure that a certain number of countries will begin to say that we will not attend and that will be a blow to Trump. It will be a blow to his pride because this is obviously the first time that a World Cup is ever being played in the United States of America and Trump himself wants to make this a great occasion,” says Keiger.