Why The 2026 World Cup Will Be About Much More Than A Commercial Bonanza
Is the 2026 World Cup in trouble? Between trade wars and military tensions, FIFA’s "safe" tournament has become a toxic mix of security fears and falling hotel bookings.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 22: FIFA President Gianni Infantino shows U. S. President Donald Trump the World Cup Trophy in the Oval Office as Vice President JD Vance looks on August 22, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Trump announced the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will take place at The Kennedy Center. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Getty Images After a hugely problematic first quarter of the 21 st century for FIFA – notably due to high-profile allegations of bribery and corruption – awarding the 2026 World Cup to the United States, Canada and Mexico was supposed to be an easy option for world football’s governing body. The U.
S. is the world’s biggest market for sport (perhaps accounting for 40% of total industry size), with a growing appetite for soccer , and has long been seen as trustworthy and politically stable. Alongside Canadian stability and Mexican passion, staging games in the cities such as New York, Toronto and Guadalajara, was supposed to be the antidote to the controversial selections of Russia and Qatar to host the two previous tournaments.
Whatever idealistic or romantic notions that FIFA, football fans or anyone else associated with the sport may have had, the first quarter of this year will surely have destroyed them. There is an old adage that a week in soccer is a long time; it’s now four months since Donald Trump was awarded FIFA’s first ever Peace Prize , since when preparations for the tournament have been upended by serial trauma. Immigration and security a concern When ICE agents shot Renée Nicole Good on Jan.
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