As the war in Iran has spilled over into a burgeoning regional conflict, World Aquatics says that it is closely monitoring the situation, but has made no changes to its upcoming ‘Silk Road’ World Cup Series for this fall.
World Aquatics provided the following statement:
World Aquatics is closely monitoring the situation in the region and remains in regular contact with our hosts. Currently, there have been no changes to the Silk Road World Cup 2026 events. The health and safety of athletes, teams, officials, and fans remain our paramount responsibility.
The 2026 World Cup Series is scheduled from October 1-17 with stops in Baku, Azerbaijan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and Astana, Kazakhstan.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint air attacks on Iran with a stated goal of limiting Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons and destroy Iran’s military capabilities, though the attacks have also involved killing Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei and other high ranking government and military personnel. At least 6 American military personnel have been killed, and at least 12 Israeli civilians have been killed. Iran has cited just over 1,000 Iranian deaths, while the US and Israel have cited Iranian deaths at over 3,000. International human rights groups have cited figures between 1,000 and 1,500.
As the war entered its second week, U.S. President Donald Trump said that no deals would be made without “unconditional surrender” from Iran.
While Tashkent (approximately 1,000 miles from Iran) and Astana (approximately 1,500 miles from Iran) don’t share borders with the country, Azerbaijan does. Azerbaijan is reportedly furious with Iran after it accused Iran of launching four drones across the Azerbaijani border into the Azerbaijani autonomous exclave of Nakhchivan.
An airport terminal was hit by one drone, another exploded near a school injuring civilians, and another was shot down.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev called it an “act of terror.”
The two countries share a border approximately 428 miles long.
While the World Cup stops are still seven months away, President Trump has said that the U.S. was prepared for an extended operation in the region, and international observers worry about potential expansion into a broader regional war after Iran launched counterattacks against other Middle East nations.
“ US and Israel have cited Iranian deaths at over 3,000. International human rights groups have cited figures between 1,000 and 1,500.”
And Khamenei killed 40,000 Iranians in the last 2 months.