Jacek Laskowski: Fans won't ignore the World Cup despite FIFA's various ideas

Jacek Laskowski, known for his poetic pre-match introductions, contemplates the hypothetical scenario of a USA-Iran match at the 2026 World Cup. The participation of Iran in the tournament, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, had been uncertain due to recent political tensions between the two countries.

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For me, the most important thing is that sport prevails at major tournaments and the Olympics, so that during the World Cup we can talk primarily about football, and not about other matters, like politics.

Laskowski stresses his primary concern: that major sporting events like the World Cup and the Olympics should primarily be platforms for discussing football and athletic achievements, rather than political matters. He recalls the 1998 World Cup match between the USA and Iran in France, which he considers a victory for football, noting that the game proceeded in a friendly atmosphere.

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We have already had matches between national teams of conflicting countries in the history of sport; moreover, even the mentioned United States and Iran faced each other at the 1998 World Cup in France. And it was a victory for football, because the match proceeded in a friendly atmosphere.

He suggests that if such a match were to occur again, it would certainly warrant a special introduction. However, Laskowski prefers to reserve his creative thoughts for such moments until the broadcast begins, indicating a desire to let the sporting event itself take center stage.

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If such a match were to happen again now, it would probably deserve a special introduction, but until the broadcast begins, I always leave it to myself.