Football has been brilliant – because football is brilliant. But the 2026 World Cup – held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but primarily in America – is the most corrupt and polluted championship in the tournament’s 96-year-old history.
Let’s start with discrimination: Omar Artan, the first Somali referee ever invited to officiate in a World Cup, was denied entry at Miami airport – despite having been granted an entry visa to the United States. The reason was dubious allegations of “terrorist connections”. He flew home to a hero’s reception, hailed for his dignified response to a humiliating experience.
“Infantino must resign! Jeff Stelling rages against the FIFA scandal
Palestinian football president Jibril al-Rajoub was denied entry to the United States. Fifteen members of Iran’s delegation had their visa applications rejected, and the Iranian national team was forced to commute from Mexico for matches in the United States.
Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was detained for almost seven hours at Chicago O’Hare Airport, his mobile phone was seized and searched. Iraq’s team photographer Talal Salah was expelled after more than ten hours in custody. Brazilian journalist Karine Alves was subjected to racist profiling and a body search upon arrival at an airport in New Jersey.
Senegalese and Ivorian supporters were banned by Trump’s travel ban. The president of the Ivory Coast Supporters’ Club stated, “The U.S. government does not want supporters from certain countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, on its territory.”
Dozens of Moroccan supporters were denied entry to the United States. Many had bought tickets for about $500 each, some had bought three-game packages for a total of $1,500, and paid visa fees of $180. Individual losses reached upwards of $2,000 – in addition to flight and hotel expenses.
The exclusion of Muslim-majority African countries and nations was a clear pattern – a level of discrimination that makes a mockery of FIFA’s claim that this was “the most inclusive World Cup in history”.
Corruption and greed
It is the financial exploitation of supporters that stands out as the most egregious and visible form of corruption. From FIFA’s staggering ticket prices to inflated flight and train fares in the United States, raw greed has polluted this World Cup.
Less than 2 percent of tickets were made available at the much-discussed “budget price” of $60 (for the worst seats in the stadium). Even these were resold at an average price of $1,600. The cheapest ticket to the final costs over $2,600. The top category, originally priced at $6,730, rose to $32,970 – an increase of 417 percent – thanks to “dynamic pricing,” a demand-based system designed to maximize FIFA’s revenue.
U.S. airlines operating routes to the host cities increased fares by an average of 42 percent. Public transport to the stadiums was utilised in the same way: a standard $13 journey from New York to MetLife Stadium increased to $98 on match days.
FIFA’s ticket pricing has been so extortionate that prosecutors in New York and New Jersey have opened legal investigations into FIFA’s fees, citing “unreasonably high” ticket prices.
Total revenue for the period 2022-2026 is projected to be FIFA’s highest ever – a whopping $13 billion – almost double the 7.57 billion generated in the previous period, and an increase of 73 percent from the period 2019-2022.
The 2026 World Cup is the perfect union of dirt and greed: host nation America – a country led by the most corrupt president in US history – and FIFA, an unethical and irresponsible organisation led by a creeping megalomaniac – Gianni Infantino – who seems to consider himself the leader of a nation-state, rather than football’s supreme body.
As Reboot FIFA states, “FIFA is not fit to govern world football and needs to be reformed as an organization so that it manages global sport in the interests of players, supporters and communities—rather than in the interests of corrupt football elites, corporations and authoritarian states.”
FIFA’s institutional cowardice was exposed in the starkest on July 5, when US striker Folarin Balogun – who had received a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina – miraculously had his suspension lifted – just before the knockout round against Belgium.
It turned out that Trump, who admits to knowing nothing about football, had called Infantino and asked FIFA to reopen the case. Infantino said yes, and the one-match ban was quickly suspended – allowing Balogun to play against Belgium. Trump later boasted, “I was the one who made them do it.”
To the delight of football fans around the world – who were outraged by the injustice of FIFA’s actions – Belgium won 4-1 over the United States. By playing Balogun, the USA team exposed itself as unprincipled – complicit in the corruption of Trump and Infantino.
Poisoning of everything
All this filth—manipulation of rules, discrimination and corruption—reveals two intertwined problems, pervasive and polluting: total disregard for the law by the rich and powerful, especially Trump and other demagogues—and the socioeconomic doctrine of greed and division, which affects the lives of everyone everywhere. An unfair, reductive system that reduces everything to a commodity and everyone to a consumer.
This is the American way: a world without substance, where money and winning are everything. A flat, materialistic world where wealth and power buy impunity, and where the vulnerable and marginalized can be ignored and exploited. It is loud and hollow – and it poisons everything it touches.
Despite all the abomination – and to the full glory of the players and fans – football has been brilliant. Because football is brilliant – uniting people across cultures, creating moments of shared joy and drama that will live long in the memory.
Justin Bieber to perform as part of the World Cup final’s halftime entertainment
