WASHINGTON DC — Six months out from the 2026 World Cup, and on the day of the group stage draw here, it’s worth taking a step back from the Gianni Infantino x Donald Trump love-in and reflect upon the myriad issues and controversies facing the tournament.
Things could get messy. Things *will* get expensive. World Cups are complicated anyway, and then you add in the US President…
Travel bans
In August, speaking to African media, Fifa president Infantino insisted that everybody would be welcome to come to the 2026 World Cup because this was a tournament for all. So far, so textbook.
The only slight issue: in June, President Trump initiated a travel ban on people from 12 countries. Those countries include Haiti and Iran, both of whom have qualified for the World Cup next summer.
There is no suggestion yet that the squads or staff of the affected nations will be blocked from travel, but there’s also no suggestion that the ban, in its current form, would allow foreign nationals from these countries to travel to the World Cup.
It’s hard to see how that possibly fits Infantino’s brief of “welcome to all”, but then this is a man who, on Fifa’s watch, has explicitly praised Trump’s presidency and for “doing things we think but don’t act on”. Which is absolutely dismal on every level.
Host cities
Trump has repeatedly flirted publicly with removing the host status of various Democrat-governed cities and moving the matches elsewhere under the supposed guise of security concerns.
“If we think there’s going to be any sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city,” Trump said last month. “We have a lot of cities that would love to have it, No 1, and we’ll do it very safely.”
Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle are the four cities most at risk and are down to host 27 matches between them. Perhaps this is just Trump bluster, but the lack of pushback from Infantino on his remarks create the possibility that travel plans for teams and supporters could be thrown into chaos. Hopefully these are empty threats.
Ticket pricing
This is the first World Cup that will use dynamic pricing (for which we can read: fans getting fleeced on resale sites). It will also be by far the most expensive World Cup in history for supporters.
Official prices for group games start at $60 (£45), but supporters have been quick to point out that the percentage of match tickets within his lowest category is miniscule. The cheapest ticket on the resale site (at time of writing) for the first non-USA match in the US – Boston on 13 June – is $816 (£611).
Fifa says that the pricing structures and use of dynamic pricing is in line with trends within the entertainment industry across North America, but it’s hardly opening up football for all, instead restricting attendance to a high-end US audience when you factor in the cost of travel and accommodation.
If that wasn’t enough, Fifa also introduced a system whereby fans could buy tokens on the Fifa Blockchain whereby you can pay $999 (£748) and get a ticket for the final if your chosen nation makes it. If it doesn’t, you lose your money.
Matchday travel
Most major North American sports stadiums (we’re leaving Mexico out of this, you’re grand) share some common traits: they’re massive, they’re out-of-town and they are surrounded by roughly four billion car parking spaces because that is how the vast majority travel to matches.
Which presents a public transport emergency for a major event where many supporters will not have a car. At the Club World Cup last summer, there were huge issues with a lack of buses and a shortage of ride-sharing vehicles creating vast financial premiums for journeys.
Host cities are certainly attempting to implement new direct bus routes and creating services only available to ticket holders, but expect massive queues of people for transport and cars getting out of stadiums.
Human rights issues
“The 2026 World Cup is the first to begin with human rights criteria embedded in the bidding process,” said Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, in Washington on Wednesday. “But the deteriorating human rights situation in the United States has put those commitments at risk.”
The increase in attacks on immigrants in the US, the rhetoric of President Trump and his use of the National Guard to target and detain immigrants across the country creates serious questions about the suitability of the country to host the tournament and about the safety of all those attending matches.
Fifa’s decision to cancel anti-racism and anti-discrimination messaging at the Club World Cup was also a backwards step and suggests – even if inadvertently – that the issue has moved down the agenda of priorities. And that is unacceptable for an organisation that purports to represent all.
Extreme heat
A recent report from a climate action sport group concluded that 10 of the 16 stadiums at next summer’s World Cup are at a “very high risk of extreme heat stress conditions”.
We already have anecdotal evidence from the Club World Cup, where multiple games were suspended for up to two hours due to heat or electrical storms related to the heat. It seems inconceivable that the same issues won’t occur in 2026.
Misting sprays, cooling stations and large shaded areas can and should be installed for visiting supporters, but one suggestion is for some matches to be moved to morning to avoid the hottest time of day and likely stormy conditions. Any significant delays – and certainly match rearrangements – will provide a significant logistical headache for fans and organisers.
Your next read
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/ELCobf5
Post a Comment