1. FIFA ‘Americanizes’ the game
In about two weeks, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will host the most bizarre World Cup that FIFA has ever organized. Yes, that includes Benito Mussolini’s personal propaganda tournament in 1934, Vladimir Putin’s personal propaganda tournament in 2018, and the Qatari regime’s personal propaganda tournament in 2022. Take a bow, Gianni Infantino.
FIFA is billing the 2026 edition of the world’s biggest sporting event — soon to be President Donald Trump’s personal propaganda tournament — as an overdue expansion of the beautiful game. The month-long spectacle will span three host countries, increasing to 48 participants for the first time in World Cup history. It will instead be remembered for a number of other first-time inclusions that threaten the sport’s integrity.
Most egregiously, all matches will be paused for mid-half water breaks. This policy might make sense in the blistering Kansas City heat, but it is asinine for games in climate-controlled indoor stadiums — such as those in Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, and Vancouver. FIFA has claimed that it will maintain consistent weather breaks for fairness. Oh, and broadcasters will be able to cut away from these gaps in play for advertising breaks — reserved only for FIFA sponsors, of course.
The tournament will also feature a halftime show during the final, the first in the tournament’s 96-year history. The show itself is not necessarily a problem — most casual fans will probably enjoy the unusual collaboration between Madonna, Shakira, and BTS — except that it breaks the rules of the sport; soccer’s halftime is a strictly mandated 15 minutes. Ironically, FIFA has also decided to simultaneously crack down on time-wasting, adding time limits to throw-ins and substitutions. Yet the beauty of soccer is that the game ebbs and flows. It aggressively disavows the stop-start style of play that defines advertising-laden American sports. FIFA is cheapening its product — to the detriment of both players and fans.
2. Fans face ticket and travel troubles
The fans may not even show up. Though ticket prices are plummeting on resale markets, FIFA expects spectators to fork over thousands of dollars to watch the games live. The cheapest ticket for the final, stuck in the nosebleeds of MetLife Stadium’s upper bowl, costs over $2,000. The comparable average ticket over the last five tournament finals was $200. American fans can watch the U.S. men — I’ll get to them in a second — play their opener against Paraguay for over $1,000. Trump himself said he wouldn’t pay that much to watch.
Now add the price of war-inflated flights, hotels, and transportation. In Boston, for example, fans will be required to pay $80 to take an overcrowded train to Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium. New Jersey Transit is offering a similarly egregious service. It’s not quite uniform — certain host cities are slashing prices — but attending the World Cup will cost a uniquely exorbitant price relative to past tournaments.
Fans who can afford to fly to the U.S., pay for a hotel, buy a ticket through FIFA’s lottery system, and travel to the game then risk clashing with immigration enforcement officials. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be present at every game held in the U.S., including all quarterfinals, both semifinals, and the final. Supporters from Haiti and Iran, two countries on Trump’s travel ban list, will be barred from entering the country. The resulting chilling effect means that other potential spectators may simply choose to stay home, dampening the cultural exchange that makes the World Cup special.
3. World Cup preview
To prove that sportswashing works, I would be remiss if I didn’t offer some sort of preview of the actual tournament.
Four countries will make their first World Cup appearances: Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, Curaçao, and Jordan — all dark horses that could be surprise knockout round entrants. Fans should anticipate Mexico and Canada to overperform with home-field advantage, especially after disappointing group stage exits in 2022. Morocco, which came close to becoming the first African champions in Qatar, may once again knock on the glass ceiling. Argentina, meanwhile, will look to become the first repeat winners since Brazil in 1962.
However, three European powerhouses are the oddsmakers’ favorites, and for good reason. Spain’s deadly one-two punch of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams devastated opposing backlines during La Roja’s European Championship title run two years ago. England, which — perhaps serendipitously — reached the final in the past two Euros, boasts a stout defense and lethal attack. However, football won’t be “coming home”; France is my pick to hoist the World Cup trophy. Les Bleus will simply be impossible to stop; it would take multiple goalkeepers to keep Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé from scoring — not to mention the likes of Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, and Désiré Doué probably coming off the bench. Unlike the English, don’t expect the French to struggle with the heat.
Now, as promised, consider the United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation intended the 2026 World Cup to be the U.S. men’s national team’s crowning achievement, a coming-of-age home tournament to prove that the Americans’ golden generation belongs on the world’s biggest stage. Instead, it may be an abject failure. It would not be particularly surprising if the team failed to advance out of its group — which includes soccer giants Turkey, Paraguay, and Australia. An out-of-form Christian Pulisic will lead the line for the Stars and Stripes, which will likely start a 38-year-old Tim Ream at center back ahead of untested goalkeeper Matt Freese and behind an injury-ravaged midfield. The hopes and dreams of 2022 have faded quickly; a quarterfinal appearance in a month would be a minor miracle. Not great for a $1,000 ticket.
