Since South Africa was awarded the rights to host the 2010 edition, the run-up to the FIFA World Cup has often been plagued by concerns about a variety of issues regarding the host country. For South Africa, it was the high crime rate in the inner cities, where guns were too easily available and murders were frequent. Brazil 2014 was mostly about the weather and also crime in the favelas, while Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 were about human rights abuses and state-sponsored bigotry, especially homophobia.
Despite these mostly legitimate concerns, the tournaments were organised successfully, largely free of serious incidents. Stack all these concerns for the four editions together, and they are not even half as troubling as what has been leading up to the 2026 World Cup scheduled for the United States of America, Mexico and Canada in the next six weeks. To be fair to Mexico and Canada, a huge majority of the problems are caused by the US, with the complicity of FIFA.
Never has a World Cup been beset by so many problems even before kick-off, with football fans across the globe now rating the 2026 edition the worst in history, even before a ball has been kicked. Most fans have seen enough to expect total disaster, having witnessed the disastrous build-up marred by Gianni Infantino and FIFA’s greed and inability to curb US President Donald Trump’s lust for revenge and uncompromising immigration policy.
FIFA has historically advocated that the beautiful game is for the fans and offered protection for its officials. Now, fans have been priced out with ridiculously expensive match ticket, hotel accommodation and transportation costs. More worrying, for the first time in the history of a major tournament, a FIFA-appointed referee has been denied entry into a host country, with the football governing body refusing to fight for him.
Somali referee Omar Artan, voted Africa’s best at the 2025 CAF Awards, will not be living his dream of officiating at the World Cup after he was refused entry into the country by US immigration despite having a diplomatic passport. His only ‘sin’ is coming from Somalia, one of the countries the US under Trump has blacklisted. Instead of fighting his cause, FIFA caved in like cowards, despite their avowed policy that ‘the host will ensure entry for all accredited persons’. The US signed guarantees to admit accredited World Cup personnel, then denied Artan days before the tournament for ‘vetting concerns’ with no details, no appeal, and no back-up plan.
“FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States,” the spineless governing body said in a statement. “FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present. In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”
Artan’s case is just one of many instances of USA’s brazen disregard for World Cup hosting protocol that has existed for nearly a century. World Cup squads are traditionally ushered in like royalty at entry points into the host country, but there is footage of Senegal and Uzbekistan squads being treated like criminals upon arrival, the players and officials given full cavity searches. Switzerland player Breel Embolo’s visa was put under review and he was only able to join his team days later, while the Iraq’s Aymen Hussein was held for questioning for nearly seven hours upon entering the United States.
Accredited journalists, at least the majority of them, are usually issued with visas with minimum fuss. But the US denied a large percentage of reporters, and an Iraq team photographer was sent back despite having valid papers. Unlike the docile and complicit FIFA (Infantino for some reason has to do all of Trump’s bidding), AIPS (international sport journalist association) has been battling to sort out unacceptable visa issues of African and Iranian journalists.
Similarly, fans from all over the world with match tickets are normally granted entry into host countries (the tickets even served as visas at Russia 2018), but the USA has denied thousands, with an estimated 90% of Moroccan fans with tickets not allowed in. The list of USA’s crimes against the beautiful game goes on and on.
Because of Trump’s war on Iran, that country’s national team has been made to pay a steep price by the US, with FIFA seemingly powerless to intervene. First, 14 members of Iran’s technical staff were denied visas after the contingent spent days dealing with visa procedures at the US Consulate in Turkiye. In addition, Iran have been training in Mexico, while their matches are scheduled for the US. While Iran will play their three group matches in the US, they are only allowed to arrive from Mexico on the eve of the games and leave the country immediately after, without spending matchday nights in Trump’s domain.
While Mexico and Canada have done their best to be gracious hosts to the rest of the world, the US has behaved as if it is being forced to take in unwanted guests, and it is lashing out. Unfortunately, the US will host the majority of matches, which means the negative outcomes will outnumber the good stuff being done by the two other host countries.
Ironically, the man Infantino created the emergency FIFA Peace Prize (obviously compensation for Trump being snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize he coveted) is the one sprinkling utter chaos and mayhem on football’s greatest offering. The World Cup should bring people across the globe together to celebrate the most popular sport on earth, and unite people regardless of nationality. Unfortunately, the body that should uphold the sport’s values and keep up its great traditions appears to have sold its soul, and the possibility of a disastrous World Cup is real.
