When Politics Nearly Ended World Cup Dreams
The FIFA World Cup sells itself as the purest stage of footballing drama – a ball, a pitch, a nation’s hopes. But the tournament has never lived in a vacuum. At times, the real battle hasn’t been about qualifying for the finals, but about whether a country would be allowed – or willing – to turn up at all.
Across the decades, three stories stand out. Three teams who came close to disappearing from the World Cup, not because of form or fitness, but because the world around them was on fire.
Iran 2022: Football in the Eye of a Storm
In the months before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Iran’s place at the tournament felt anything but secure.
At home, the country was convulsed by widespread protests and fierce debate over human rights. Abroad, the noise grew louder. Campaigns, statements, and calls for Iran to be expelled or boycotted gathered pace, turning what is usually a straightforward build-up into a geopolitical flashpoint.
Every squad announcement, every training camp, every friendly match carried an extra layer of tension. This was no longer just about tactics or selection. It was about whether Iran would even be there when the World Cup anthem played.
In the end, the team did go. Iran walked out, lined up, and competed in the tournament. The questions never fully went away, but the withdrawal that many had predicted – or demanded – never materialised.
North Korea 1966: A Team from the Shadows
Roll back to 1966, and the World Cup was heading to England. Among the qualifiers was a team that much of the world barely knew: North Korea.
Its very presence at the tournament was in doubt. Political tensions and disputes over international recognition hung over the country’s participation. The Cold War climate made everything harder – visas, logistics, even basic acceptance of their involvement. At one point, the idea of North Korea actually taking the field felt fragile.
But the team arrived. Once the ball started rolling, the politics briefly stepped aside. North Korea didn’t just turn up; it tore up the script, stunning the world by reaching the quarter-finals.
A nation that almost never made it to the World Cup ended up writing one of its great underdog stories.
Netherlands 1978: Principles vs. the Biggest Stage
By 1978, the Netherlands were not outsiders. They were a powerhouse, the standard-bearers of “Total Football,” and runners-up four years earlier. But their place at the World Cup in Argentina came under a very different kind of scrutiny.
The host nation was under the control of a military regime, and the political climate was dark. Across Dutch society, pressure grew. Should a football team fly into a country accused of widespread abuses? Should the Oranje turn their back on the world’s biggest tournament as an act of protest?
Debate raged. Politicians, players, and the public wrestled with the dilemma. A boycott was not just a theoretical idea; it was a live option, discussed and weighed as the tournament drew closer.
Eventually, the Netherlands chose to go. Once there, they did what that generation did best – they played their way deep into the competition and reached the final. The trophy eluded them again, but the story of 1978 will always be framed by the question that came before a ball was kicked: would they go at all?
The World Cup is often sold as an escape from reality. These three episodes are a reminder that it never truly escapes anything. Sometimes, the hardest battle is simply to step onto the pitch.
