Are national teams representative of their governments or the people? When nations are engaged in conflict how do international sporting events become places of proxy war battles? Victoria Jackson joined NPR LA's Air Talk with Larry Mantle to walk through some of the more colorful, violent moments in Olympic and World Cup history and what Iranian athletes are navigating as they prepare to play two group stage matches in LA and one in Seattle during the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup.
This FIFA World Cup is Not the First Global Game to be Set Against a Backdrop of Conflict
There's a long history of international sporting events taking place during conflicts between nations, and NPR LA's Air Talk with Larry Mantle invited Victoria Jackson on the show to share some of this history and the ways it informs what to expect with Iran coming to the United States to play FIFA men's World Cup group stage matches in LA and Seattle.