What’s happening at the World Cup one day before tournament starts?

What’s happening at the World Cup one day before tournament starts?Political issues continue to dominate the build-up to the World Cup, with the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38678" data-entity-type="event">US-Israel war on Iran overshadowing the tournament.The biggest ever World Cup is almost here, with the United States, Canada and Mexico ready to host 48 teams in an expanded competition.The football finally begins on Thursday as Mexico host South Africa at Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Will the FIFA World Cup be the economic bonanza US cities were promised?list 2 of 4World Cup 2026: What time can fans in Europe, Middle East and Africa watch?list 3 of 4World Cup opening ceremony: Who’s performing, when it starts, how to watchlist 4 of 4FIFA World Cup 2026 explained in maps and chartsend of listBut before a ball has even been kicked, the tournament has already thrown up plenty of controversy. Here are the five biggest talking points on the eve of the big kickoff.Iran’s tickets ‘withdrawn’ by the USThe Iranian football federation, FFIRI, says the US has revoked its allocation of tickets for its team’s World Cup group games, accusing the cohost of obstructing the attendance of Iranian supporters under the shadow of war.“In an unexpected move, the allocation granted to the Iranian Football Federation has been withdrawn, and under the current circumstances, the federation is unable to provide even a single ticket to supporters of the national team,” FFIRI said.The US has presented several bureaucratic hurdles for Iran at the World Cup, including refusing to issue visas for some of its support staff, as the two countries have effectively remained at war since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.Neither FIFA nor US organisers have publicly commented on the Iranian accusation.Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City hit by protests before openerThe tournament kicks off in Mexico’s capital on Thursday afternoon, but various protests are putting pressure on the authorities in the run-up to the big game.Demonstrators from the country’s teachers’ union, CNTE, have been protesting in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City for days and are threatening to shut down roads around the venue, Estadio Azteca, before the opening game.