FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States: An Imminent Debacle or Business as Usual Once the Tournament Begins?
Photo Above: Canada USA Mexico 2026 promotional picture (picture credit: Orlandocitysc.com)
Photo Below: Trump & Fifa President Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (phot credit: BBC)
Build-up: new format, pricing, political climate
The last few World Cups (Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022) had a lot of political and controversial discourse in the build-up to the tournaments. But in 2026, there are at least two firsts that have caused even greater discussions and debates. For the first time, three countries will jointly stage the tournament (Canada, USA, Mexico). The tournament will also have a record 48 countries competing (up from 32). But possibly another one is the grim reality that this world cup will arguably be the first where the host is engaging in a military conflict with one of the participating countries (USA v Iran). The tension doesn’t stop there as issues with ticketing, ticket prices, and visa restrictions into the USA for people from certain countries have all added to a cloud of negativity surrounding this event. To add to that, one of the most controversial American presidents in history continues to create headlines whatever he does creating further attention on the event. But will these issues cause this tournament to inevitably fall into negative press and chaos? Or will everything be fine once the games begin as the England legend Gary Lineker said on a British radio show last week?
A record 48 teams have qualified under the new format (picture credit: NYtimes)
New format: positives and challenges
An increase of a third in terms of participating teams means a lot more football to be watched and more fans following their teams. This is certainly more inclusive with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan enjoying their first ever world cup experiences. The only question will be if the games will live up to the excitement? In addition, will too many games dilute the quality of the football overall? On June 24th (UK time) there will be six matches in one day with question marks over how much interest all these initial games will attract. On the other hand, with the world more connected than ever and football being the world’s most popular professional sport, there is no doubt this tournament could enjoy a wonderful carnival atmosphere. In addition, America in particular has many different communities from all over the world and many countries’ flags and cultures could be on display at levels never seen before in stadiums across the continent.
My prediction: the new format will be a success overall due to more global audiences enjoying the games on TV and more countries being able to enjoy the experience. The only downside will be more forgettable games and large areas of some stadiums being empty.
Fans priced out and many empty stadiums?
The issue of ticket-pricing in modern-day football is as contentious as ever. As the corporate brands of football governing bodies such as FIFA and UEFA continue to evolve commercially, the demand for tickets at football matches has continued to be as strong as ever. It is understandable that flights and travel costs are inevitable for traveling fans to a world cup (albeit the conflict in Iran has pushed aviation travel up even further for many). But the prices of hotels and tickets for some matches have come under scrutiny with some games still yet to be sold out at the time of writing this article. If many genuine fans are turned away with less passionate fans attending and in fewer numbers, would it significantly affect the overall atmosphere?
Ticket pricing and possible areas of empty seats have been an ongoing concern (picture credit: France24)
My prediction: as mentioned before, there will be some empty sections of stadiums, but due to the infrastructure and growing popularity of football in the USA, the games will attract record crowds and we will see lively atmospheres at the stadiums. If fans are willing to pay and create the demand, then regrettably, business as opposed to good-will will inevitably take over.
A cloud of negativity: Trump, war, division
Factors such as the world of social media, economic uncertainty, and political figures have pushed the political climate in America to very high levels of division, particularly since 2008. Immigration debates have fuelled tension across America and ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) has even blocked a top referee from Somalia which has led to heavy criticism from many parts of the world. Although the Iranian team have been cleared to play on American soil, several Iranian team staff members have also been banned from entering the country. Along with the ticketing issues and pricing, these issues have made the cloud of negativity surrounding this World Cup almost impossible to ignore. But as previously mentioned, there were similar doubts before the last two world cups (Russia 2018, Qatar 2022) with regards to human rights issues in particular. Yet these delivered great moments and games that enabled them to be remembered well in terms of the football.
My prediction: although there is a lot of tension in the world, people are still getting on with life and football continues to attract big crowds globally. Fans look forward to World Cups like no other global event bar the summer Olympics. It will be a success similar to that of Qatar, but with probable calamitous and cameo appearances from Trump himself.
There is still hope for a great Worlc Cup and carnival atmosphere (picture credit: Gettyimages)
Overall, I hope nothing further happens in terms of sinister, unpleasant events. I also hope the winners will not only be professional football people, but fans and children all over the world enjoying the excitement of watching their teams at the World Cup, whether in person or on-screen. But it will be a test of America’s reputation as a host country with new visitors arriving. These football fans from around the world will be able to judge Canada, America, and Mexico with their own eyes and lived experiences.
My predictions:
Winners: France…they have the experience and quality all over the pitch.
Surprise package: Norway…they seem to have a certain spirit coming into the tournament.
Flops/disappointments: Germany…European teams will struggle in the heat and I think Germany lack the experience in coaching staff and adequate firepower.
Star player: Olise (France)
Players to watch out for: Kane (England), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Julian Alvarez (Argentina), Vinicius Jr (Brazil), Haaland (Norway), Yamal (Spain), Brahim Diaz (Morocco), Lee Kang-In (South Korea), Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), Antoine Semenyo (Ghana), Kaoru Mitoma (Japan), McTominay (Scotland), Musiala (Germany)
