Football didn’t have it easy at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, MexicoĀ and Canada.Ā
There were questionable decisions by FIFA,Ā the sport’s governing body, as well as a lot of spectacleĀ and a final in which only one team actually played football.
After a total of 104 games in this biggest-everĀ World Cup, Spain were deservedly crowned champions andĀ for the first time, a country’s men’s and women’s teams are both world champions at the same time.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the tournament as the “greatest sporting, social and cultural event in humanity,”Ā while USĀ President Donald Trump congratulated FIFA on what he called “one of the all-time greatest sporting events in history.”
But was it really?Ā Here’s what will be remembered.
How was the biggest-everĀ tournament received by viewers?
Fears of empty stadiums ā€” especially in the US, where football isn’t the number one sport ā€” proved unfounded. According to FIFA,Ā 6,810,966 fans attended the tournament, the first to be co-hosted by three countries. This set a new record forĀ World Cup attendance.
Given that the schedule featured 104 matches, instead of 64 at previous tournaments, a record attendance figure is no surprise.Ā The average attendance was around 65,000, and according to FIFA, 99.7%Ā of all available seats were filled. However, many empty seats were visible in stadiums, especially during the group stage.
Hydration breaks draw criticism
Fans criticized the newly introduced hydration breaks. Most coaches, however, supported the breaks ā€” or, at least, did not complain about them.
Uruguayā€™s now-former coach, Marcelo Bielsa, on the other hand, criticized the additional opportunity to influence the game.
“Playing four halves instead of two changes the culturally shaped perception of football,”Ā he said. “These breaks add nothing to the game, but take a lot away from it.”
Were there any surprises at this World Cup?
World Cup newcomer Cape Verde caused quite a stir. The small African nation held eventual world champions Spain to a 0-0 draw and narrowly lost to defending champions Argentina in extra time in the round of 32.
The Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated a 1-1 draw against Portugal and its superstar,Ā Cristiano Ronaldo.Ā Paraguay knocked Germany out of the tournament in the round of 32. Curacao, the smallest World Cup participant, made history by scoring theirĀ first-ever World Cup goal againstĀ GermanyĀ and earned theirĀ first-ever World Cup point against Ecuador.
Price madness at World Cup
ThisĀ World Cup was expensive. Fans had to dig deep into their pockets for tickets, hotels, parking feesĀ or flights. However, prices inside the stadiums caused additional frustration. In the US, visitors had to pay up to ā‚¬20 ($22) for a beer, more than ā‚¬17 for French friesĀ or about ā‚¬7Ā for a bottle of water.
In Mexico, too, food and drinks were significantly more expensive than usual. At the Azteca Stadium, where the opening match took place, a beer cost the equivalent of about ā‚¬15.50 ā€” almost as much as the country’s minimum daily wage.
What role didĀ Trump play at the World Cup?
There was widespread concern thatĀ Trump might use the World Cup to advance his political agenda. After all, the USĀ president had repeatedly declared the tournament to be his personal prestige project. Yet Trump didnā€™t show up at the stadium until the final and largely kept a low profile during the tournament.
Nevertheless, the 80-year-old sparkedĀ the biggest scandal of the tournament. After USĀ forward Folarin Balogun was shown a red card, he successfully lobbied FIFA President Infantino to review the automatic ban for the next game.
Balogun was allowed to play in the round-of-16 match against Belgium, but couldn’t stop AmericaĀ from losing to Belgium.
“The current FIFA president has bowed to Donald Trump,”Ā said former FIFA bossĀ Joseph Blatter. However, the criticism of Infantino is reportedly unlikely to jeopardize his potential reelection as FIFA president in March 2027.
How safe wasĀ the World Cup?
The war in the Middle East and unrest in Mexico had raised significant security concerns in the run-up to the tournament. While the games in Canada and the USĀ went off largely without a hitch, there were several incidents in Mexico. Fans stormed an already overcrowded fan zone in Guadalajara; after a victory by the co-hosts, a car plowed into a celebrating crowd; and several people died during victory celebrations in Mexico City.
In addition to numerous fans, particularly from African countries, Somali referee Omar Artan wasĀ denied entry into the USĀ despite having a valid visa. The authorities cited security concerns over alleged ties to a terrorist organization in his home country as the reason. The Somali FIFA referee is still expected to receive his salary due fromĀ the World Cup.
What was the human rights situation like?
Many human rights organizations have given FIFA an extremely poor rating.
“This World Cup has been played against a backdrop of the U.S. governmentā€™s abusive immigration crackdown,” said Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch.
She also pointed to a “failure by FIFA to uphold its own human rights standards.”
This seems to contradict any claim of this being theĀ “most inclusive World Cup in history.”Ā
“FIFA had promised that everyone could feel safe. The truth is different. ICE, for example, has doubled the number of arrests,”Ā said Daniel Norona of Amnesty International USA.
Ronan Evain of the fan organization “Football Supporters Europe”Ā criticized the opaque process for issuing visas to fans, particularly those from non-European countries.
“Our observations have revealed little or no evidence that ticket holders from Africa and Asia actually received visas to enter the US,”Ā Evain said.
What’s next after the World Cup?
For Infantino, further expanding the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams is certainly conceivable. Instead of the current 104, there would then be 128 matches.
“That is definitely an issue that will be examined after this World Cup and discussed within the committees,” the FIFA presidentĀ told Swiss broadcaster “blue Sport.”
Despite the widespread criticism of Infantino, his position as FIFA president is not in jeopardy. On the contrary: More games mean more money that he can distribute to the member nations. Next year, Infantino is expected to be re-elected to his post for the third time.
If reelected, Infantino would be in charge until 2031, a year after the next World Cup, which is to be spread over three continents. A total of three games will be played in Uruguay, Paraguay and ArgentinaĀ before the tournament moves toĀ Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
This article was originally publishedĀ in German.