What to expect from the 2026 Fifa World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Mexico, Canada and the US from 11 June to 19 July. The forty-eight nations that qualified will compete for the title in 104 matches. Commentators examine the ramifications of the event beyond the realm of sport, including the less savoury aspects.
Risky stadiums
Webcafé warns that the Trump administration's tougher immigration and entry laws could make life difficult for many fans:
“Although the organising committee has announced that no ICE officers will be present in the stadiums, this doesn't mean that they won't be on standby, ready to intervene at the slightest provocation. ... Amnesty International warns that visitors face the risk of arbitrary arrests and deportations, invasive searches of mobile phones and social media profiles, racial profiling and, in the worst case, cruel or degrading treatment in migrant detention centres.”
A huge Latin American festival
El País looks forward to seeing the Latinos in the stadiums:
“This won't just be a sporting tournament. It will be a World Cup marked by Trump's imperialism. ... A tournament that Trump will probably seek to use symbolically for his own ends and turn into yet another demonstration of power and national greatness – in other words, his own greatness. But the ball always comes first and there is something untameable about football: it never fully belongs to those organising the show. There will be thousands of Mexicans, Colombians, Argentinians and Central Americans in the stands. In many US cities, the World Cup will be experienced as a huge Latin American festival in a country that continues to discuss its identity.”
Already a financial coup
Journalist Rui Almeida writes in A Bola:
“This will be an American-style spectacle, with no guarantee that the key players will be entirely comfortable with the format and the signals it sends. But one thing I don't doubt: financially, the Zurich-based organisation can already declare victory and boast of its success. Never before has a World Cup generated such revenues, commercial commitments, sponsorship and added value. Even now, before the Trionda balls have started rolling, the money is already in the bag.”