Imperfect Paradise: War, politics, and sports collide as Iran competes in LA for the World Cup
About this episode
The episode discusses the intersection of war, politics, and sports as Iran competes in the World Cup in Los Angeles amidst geopolitical tensions.
The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles – after months of uncertainty over whether they’d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament’s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final installment of our World Cup series, LAist reporter Libby Rainey looks at the Iranian team’s precarious path to LA, the role politics has played in the largest and longest World Cup in FIFA history, and the issues the team and LA's large Iranian diaspora continues to navigate. Check out more of Libby’s reporting and LAist’s World Cup guide at LAist.com/WorldCup Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
People in this episode
Guest: Libby Rainey
Topics covered
- World Cup
- Iran national soccer team
- politics
- sports
- US-Iran relations
- diaspora issues
Sponsors
Shopify, Gordon Crawford, Dona Crawford
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Iran national soccer team, LAist, FIFA
Places: Los Angeles, Iran
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