When the World Cup and war collide: From the Politics Desk

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As the World Cup kicks off today, Monica Alba explores the intersection between the tournament and the ongoing war with Iran. Plus, we examine the political fates of the House Republicans who voted to release the Epstein files.

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When the World Cup and war collide

By Monica Alba

The 2026 World Cup is already making history on several fronts. It’s the first time there have been three host nations, and it’s the first time 48 teams have participated.

But there’s also this notable first: No World Cup host nation has ever been in an active military conflict with a country playing in the tournament until now, with the United States and Iran again trading fire this week ahead of today’s inaugural games.

President Donald Trump , whom FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded the FIFA Peace Prize to in December, promised this morning to hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” before announcing this afternoon that he had canceled those plans, signaling progress on a possible peace deal. It all underscored that the uncertain future of the war will loom over the the five-week tournament.

There has also been tension behind the scenes around the location of the Iranian team’s home base. Originally, Team Melli was supposed to train and stay at a facility in Tucson, Arizona, but late last month, FIFA changed it to Tijuana, Mexico. That means the Iranian team will travel to the U.S. for each of its three group stage games and back on the same night. Iran is scheduled to play twice in Los Angeles, including its first game on Monday, and once in Seattle.

The visas necessary for the Iranian players to enter the U.S. from Mexico were granted last week, but the Iranian federation said not all of its staff were approved. “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses,” an administration official told NBC News.The U.S. and Iran played in the same group in the last World Cup. This time around, they could theoretically meet at some point in the knockout stage, though such a matchup is unlikely.

Trump is not planning to attend the opening games for the U.S. men’s national team, a break from the last three world cups, in which the leaders of each of the host countries appeared at theirs: the emir of Qatar in 2022, President Vladimir Putin of Russia in 2018 and President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil in 2014.

Trump told reporters this week he plans to go to a game at some point during the tournament but it’s unclear which one. Follow live Iran war updates →

⚽ And for more on the World Cup games themselves, check out our daily Sports Desk newsletter .

Trump is upending the political careers of Republicans who pushed to release the Epstein files

By Melanie Zanona and Katherine Doyle

The four House Republicans who helped force the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files called themselves the “Bravehearts” — an acknowledgment that their risky stand would require a stiff spine, especially given President Donald Trump ’s fierce opposition to the move.

As they later learned, the gambit would also upend their political futures.

In the seven months since the House voted to release the Epstein files, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia resigned from Congress, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was defeated in his primary by a Trump-endorsed challenger, Rep. Nancy Mace placed fifth in a South Carolina GOP gubernatorial field that included a candidate backed by Trump, and Rep. Lauren Boebert is facing the threat of a primary challenge in Colorado next cycle.“Everybody’s paying a price for it,” Massie, who spearheaded the Epstein resolution, told NBC News.

Sources close to the White House note Epstein wasn’t the only issue that soured the relationship between Trump and those four members. Massie has long been a thorn in the president’s side, including by voting against Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” while Greene started to break with Trump on a whole host of issues last year after the White House discouraged her from a Senate bid.

Mace, for her part, is convinced her push for the Epstein files is what cost her a Trump endorsement in the governor’s race. There’s no indication Trump had been planning on endorsing her prior to her Epstein vote, though the president did share a poll on social media in August showing Mace leading the pack, and she appeared to still be in good standing with the president at the time.

Still, Mace said she had no regrets, calling the Epstein issue a hill she was “willing to die on.”

“I knew what I was putting on the line when I voted to release the Epstein files. I’m a survivor, and I would do it all over again,” she told NBC News.

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That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Annelise Hanson.

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