Football Resilience in Crisis-Affected States as Soft Power at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

This article examines why national football teams from crisis-affected countries can remain competitive and qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The study focuses on Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, and Egypt as cases that represent different forms of crisis, including geopolitical pressure, post-war recovery, post-uprising political instability, and economic vulnerability. The article argues that football resilience in these countries cannot be explained only by macro-political stability or national wealth. It emerges from the interaction of football culture, institutional continuity, youth development, diaspora networks, elite player pathways, and national identity narratives. Using a qualitative comparative case study method, this research analyzes secondary data from FIFA documents, news reports, international organization reports, and relevant academic literature. The theoretical framework combines soft power, sports diplomacy, social identity theory, and social resilience. The findings show that World Cup qualification works as a symbolic resource that helps crisis-affected countries produce attraction, maintain international visibility, and strengthen collective pride. However, this soft power remains fragile when it is not supported by transparent football governance and long-term development. The article contributes to sports diplomacy studies by shifting the focus from host-country mega-events to the resilience of national teams from crisis-affected states