Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum, Infantino said it is important that Iran participates in the World Cup even though its participation has been in doubt since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on the country.
“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino said. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Infantino met with the Iranian national team in Antalya, Turkey, two weeks ago and said Wednesday he was impressed.
Nearly 4,000 miles away from Madison, Wisconsin, William Jenkins remembers the surreal sensation of watching his team’s lower-league jersey being sold in England.
“To go to London and see our kits … it’s such a humbling and incredible experience,” Forward Madison’s creative director said. “It’s such a unique experience seeing that and knowing that it’s covering different chapters of the entire globe.”
Playing in the USL League One, America’s modest third division, Forward Madison aren’t exactly a powerhouse of the world soccer scene. A game between Forward and a sporting/cultural giant like Arsenal or Barcelona would probably end in a double-digit defeat, but a battle between kits? The third-division team, and a growing number of other underdog clubs, are in a league of their own.
Ranging from fashion-forward looks that have been worn on red carpets to using the jersey as a canvas for self-expression and empowerment, lower-league teams are proving to be the sport’s visionaries when it comes to what a kit can be. Through these jerseys and their overarching aesthetic, these clubs’ profiles are getting an invaluable boost.
“These kits are the biggest representation of their identity,” said Arsenio Lopez, art director at kit maker Hummel. “This is design, this is attention to detail. This is: How do we capture the mind and the eyes?
The Kansas City Current’s stadium, which opened last year, is the first soccer stadium built for a women’s team. Reed Hoffmann/AP
No place in America has more riding on this summer’s World Cup soccer games than Kansas City, Mo.
The Kansas City metro area, with about 2.2 million residents, is the smallest of the 16 cities hosting in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Over the past 15 years, the region has poured $650 million into building world-class training facilities and stadiums in an effort to become America’s soccer capital.
