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Amid unprecedented tension with Washington, the Cuban regime and several analysts view the onset of the 2026 World Cup as a temporary shield against potential U.S. military action, according to a report by The Guardian this Thursday.
The logic is both geographical and political: seven teams from the tournament, including Scotland against Brazil, will compete in Miami, just over 320 kilometers from the northern coast of Cuba, and the first match in that city—Uruguay against Saudi Arabia—is scheduled for June 15.
“The start of the World Cup will make it more difficult for the United States to carry out military action in Cuba,” stated Carlos Alzugaray, former Cuban ambassador to the European Union.
"Cuba is very close to the U.S. and can hit many targets within the U.S., especially in South Florida, with drones or other weapons," he added.
Alzugaray emphasized that the island's geographical proximity is a deterrent factor that did not exist in the cases of Venezuela or Iran. "There was no way for the Venezuelan or Iranian militaries to strike America."
The former diplomat indirectly refers to the alleged existence of drones on the island that would allow the regime to respond to a potential attack from the United States.
Classified intelligence documents leaked to the Axios portal revealed that Cuba may have acquired 300 military drones from Russia and Iran, some with a maximum range of 2,400 kilometers, although the Kremlin denied that purchase.
This Wednesday, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, visited the Guantanamo military base and issued a direct warning to the regime in Havana.
"It would be reckless for the Cuban government to attempt to acquire or access the kind of weapons that could reach this base or U.S. territory."
He assured that "the future of Cuba is in the hands of the president of the United States and the Cuban leaders" and warned that the War Department is "prepared and positioned for any possible eventuality."
The permanent representative of Cuba to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, responded by calling those statements "completely incorrect."
“The future of Cuba belongs solely and exclusively to the Cuban people and government. Anyone who believes that Cuba’s future is in other hands is completely and utterly mistaken,” said Soberón at X.
Not everyone shares the idea that the Football World Cup could serve as a shield for Cuba. Some citizens respond with skepticism and even cynicism to the international attention the island receives amid the current crisis.
«It would be perfect if an invasion of Cuba coincided with the World Cup,» commented ironically Carlos Bustamante, a Cuban film producer. «After all, the world cares much more about football than about Cuba, or anything else.»
However, Bustamante considered military intervention unlikely. "A U.S. invasion of Cuba will only happen if the police shoot and kill people participating in a protest. The Cuban government has always known this," he stated.
The Guardian included in its report statements from a former Scottish international who requested to remain anonymous.
"Without a doubt, a U.S. attack during the World Cup would be the greatest possible error. It makes no sense, neither from the perspective of soft power nor hard power."
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