World Cup 2026: More MENA countries competing than ever before

More Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are competing in the 2026 World Cup than at any previous tournament, much to the delight of fans from Morocco to Jordan.

But as always with sports, politics is never far from the pitch.

Iran, of course, springs to mind.

Never before has a country hosted a World Cup while at war with one of the competing nations. ...