Iran slams US World Cup hosting as ‘MAGA Playbook’

FIFA World Cup 2026 controversy is nowhere to subside which started with intervention of Trump, leading to suspension of US striker Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban.

The contention later was deepened after the controversial win of Argentina over Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 after a miraculous comeback.

In the midst of growing debate surrounding FIFA, Iran’s President has slammed the US World Cup hosting as “MAGA Playbook.”

On X, the President wrote, “The U.S. government's conduct as World Cup host follows its familiar foreign policy: bending rules, bullying rivals, creating obstacles, and cheating. This is their MAGA playbook. Iran rejects such games. We stand firmly for our rights.”

His scathing remarks come on the heels of Egypt players' accusation of “fixing” World Cup matches that led to questionable victory of Argentina. The match further raised questions over FIFA’s transparency in handling the tournament matches and referees decisions.

Ziko claimed in a post-match interview, “The referee was really not fair. The injustice was clear.”

“We did a really good job in the early stages of the match. There’s been an unfairness, right from the start from the match. A 2-0 lead isn’t enough to beat Argentina. It is clear that this tournament has been fixed.”

Earlier, the Iran team who played in the World Cup also complained about the unfair treatment faced by the players. Captain Mehdi Taremi also voiced concerns over the logistics and travel challenges, calling them “disaster.”