World Cup 2026 will be poorer for the absence of the Iranian squad.Since we are in the throes of this mutually destructive conflict let’s do a bit of a trip down memory lane .
After the tournaments of 1930, 1934, and 1938, the world was supposed to gather again in 1942. Instead, stadiums were replaced by battlefields.Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany plunged Europe into chaos. As nations mobilized for war, international sport became impossible. Players were called into military service, travel between countries collapsed, and even basic safety could not be guaranteed.
As World War II raged across the planet the World Cups scheduled for 1942 and 1946 were cancelled. For more than a decade, the greatest tournament in football simply ceased to exist .
There is something deeply symbolic about that silence. Football had been growing rapidly as a global language, a meeting point for nations. Yet the war reminded the world that sport depends on peace. Without cooperation between countries, even something as simple as a football match becomes impossible.
When the tournament finally returned in 1950 in Brazil, it felt almost like a rebirth. After years of destruction and division, the World Cup once again gave nations a place to meet ,not on the battlefield, but on the pitch.
In that sense, the long pause during World War II stands as a powerful reminder that the World Cup is not just about football. It is also a fragile symbol of how precious peace is and how easily we can return to the folly of the past.