FIFA World Cup 2026: Coated in controversy?

FIFA World Cup 2026: Coated in controversy?

(ThyBlackMan.com) The thirst for Soccer (as it is known in the U.S.), futbol as it is known nearly everywhere else, has increased to a very high level as the FIFA World Cup 2026 has arrived. This version of the World Cup seems as wide scale as ever with 104 matches across 16 host cities and venues. Soccer is known as “the beautiful game” and it is still undisputedly the most global of all sports so the World Cup is the biggest event for the sport as countries compete to show themselves as the best of the best in this global game.

There will be millions and millions of soccer fans watching World Cup matches and rooting their countries on and there is even a major betting component as well. According to gambling industry research firm Eilers & Krejcik, the U.S. betting on the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament projects to land “between $2.3 billion and $4.3 billion, a wide variance dictated by whether the U.S. men’s national team exits early or makes a deep run”. Although gambling and money will play a major role in the interest in this World Cup, the usual nationalism and people rooting for countries will still play the biggest role. But to due the current geopolitics of today, it leads many to the belief that FIFA World Cup 2026 is an event overshadowed by controversy.

One of the most notable features of this FIFA World Cup it is the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations as it is hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. It is hosted by 11 different U.S. cities for this over month-long tournament. Due to the U.S. being a major hosting site, it makes it dicey for countries currently engaged with geopolitical conflict with the U.S. to have World Cup representation in the U.S. And Iran is one of those countries. Less than four months ago, FIFA was monitoring the developments in Iran due to the military action between the U.S. and Iran for the last several months.

It was just earlier this month that the players on Iran’s World Cup soccer team received visas that allowed them to enter and compete in the U.S. in this year’s World Cup. Somali referee Omar Artan wasn’t as fortunate as he was denied entry into the U.S. as the only World Cup referee from Somalia. Unfortunately, Artan’s treatment wasn’t the only time Africans linked to this event got unequitable treatment. U.S. authorities inspected Senegal’s national team players as shortly after they got off the plane in the U.S. and they were subjected to tight inspections and physical searches.

Even before this year’s FIFA World Cup began, there were calls by various people and groups to boycott this year’s event. The Anti-Fascist Football Coalition joined the call to boycott the tournament and argued that the World Cup should be boycotted due to U.S. human rights violations, repression against migrants, and security measures linked to World Cup preparations. At this year’s most popular soccer tournament in the world, expect to see plenty of soccer fans but also plenty of protesters throughout the entire tournament as well.

Staff Writer; Mark Hines