Opinion: Politics Cast a Dark Cloud Over 2026 World Cup

I have experienced the World Cup in deteriorating venues in Brazil, through to well-air-conditioned stadiums in Qatar. I have been among strangers, sung in languages I don't know, and truly believed that the sport can build bridges across the ugliest imaginable divides.

This summer, for the first time, I am afraid to buy a ticket.

This is less about the sport and more about how this World Cup Tournament has turned from a tournament into a reflection of our ever-more totalitarian world, and what that is actually going to look like. It's bigger than political disagreements.

It's about the ICE raids outside or at the stadium, it's about a narcissistic president who threatens allies one day, or is taking photos for peace prizes the next, it's about an expanding war in Iran, and the skyrocketing ticket prices which have turned the "people's game" into a playground for the rich.

The fear is real, and it’s not paranoia

To demonstrate some of the risks associated with FIFA's World Cup, allow me to share a very recent incident. Just last year, a father of two attended a FIFA Club World Cup soccer game in New Jersey. The father had a valid visa, and he is not a criminal. Still, he was arrested by ICE agents. This is not fiction; it is fact.

Now, if you take that incident and multiply it by 104 World Cup matches with millions of expected visitors, consider the risk involved, and will the US government guarantee to keep World Cup stadiums ICE-free? 

Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House task force for the World Cup, said, “The president does not rule out anything that will assist in making American citizens safe.” Please read that sentence again. The President and his administration do not rule out arresting fans within a stadium.

In late April, the ACLU and over 120 international human rights organizations published an unprecedented travel advisory warning potential visitors about the risk of "arbitrary detention, social media screening [invasive], racial profiling, and the potential for inhumane treatment." 

This travel advisory was not for Russia 2018, nor Qatar 2022, but for the United States of America in 2026. 

The President and others are putting our potential visitors in the line of fire and potentially creating a platform for repressive governmental practices during that period of time, according to Amnesty International.

I am not scaremongering. I am quoting the experts.

The Volatility of Trump, Netanyahu and Putin

It's impossible to discuss the World Cup without addressing Donald Trump. He is unstable, inconsistent, self-absorbed, and flamboyant; the presidency has become reality television. One week, he threatens to invade Greenland; the next, he claims he won't, though there are "outlines for a deal." Whether Trump knows what he's talking about is unknown, even to those closest to him.

The US-Israel war against Iran erupted into full military engagement. Transatlantic fare hikes from higher jet fuel prices created another crisis.

In March, Iran asked FIFA to play their World Cup matches in Mexico due to security and visa entry issues. In April, FIFA denied the request, citing "practical and logistical problems". 

In late May, Iran moved its training base to Tijuana, and it still wasn’t clear if Iranian players would receive visas. Finally, just two days before the World Cup kick off, US authorities relented and said Iranian players would be allowed to enter the US the day before matches.

Where does Netanyahu fit? He stands next to Trump, smiling. Where's Putin? Watching from Moscow, learning. The message to the world's strongmen: as long as you're close with FIFA's president, you can wage war or threaten neighbors, yet throw the world's largest sports party.

Infantino’s unholy alliance

This leads me to Gianni Infantino, who presented Trump with FIFA’s first Peace Prize in December 2025 during the World Cup draw in Washington. 

A peace prize to a man who has threatened to use military force against Mexico, has put travel bans on four (out of the 36) countries participating in the World Cup (Iran, Haiti, Senegal, and Ivory Coast), and has separated families at our borders.

Norwegian football officials have made an ethics complaint related to this; however, it will get nowhere since Infantino attended Trump’s inauguration and signed a deal with his “Board of Peace.” 

He is also the same person who has previously looked the other way when Qatar committed numerous human rights violations against its workforce.

The price of a dream

Politics aside, even the economics are obscene. The cheapest final ticket: $4,185 - seven times that of Qatar 2022. Dynamic pricing saw some group-stage tickets heading towards $11,000. Fan groups in Europe have already filed official complaints.

Fan parks were free and fun in Rio and Berlin, but now charge for entry. Some cities rolled back. Others maintained "premium" areas for $300 each. A trip from NYC to MetLife costs 12x the normal price.

The Senegalese fans who have saved for years and couldn't get visas. Haiti qualified and stayed home -- a total ban on travel. Haiti and Senegal placed partial bans. 

The State Department's message: your money is welcome. You are not.

What would a boycott actually achieve?

I’m not naive enough to assume that a boycott of the United States by Europe wouldn’t cause an enormous logistical disruption (broadcasters would sue, sponsors would panic, and federations would split). 

The question becomes: at what point do we see the US reach a breaking point? 

I mean, when Russia invaded Ukraine, they were removed from participation within a few weeks for obvious reasons - you can’t reward a country for invading another. 

Why is there a different standard for the US? Is it because Infantino has a close relationship with Trump? Is it because the US has a very large and lucrative market for FIFA? Neither of these reasons is a principle; they are simply excuses.

I don't call for a boycott tonight. However, the conversations occurring behind closed doors in Budapest, Berlin, and Paris need to be made public and put in the public eye. 

There are many fans who will travel to this World Cup, and that is taking a risk that no sport should ever ask you to take. The risk of being detained, deported, or watching your team lose while ICE stands in the concourse.

The whistle hasn’t blown yet

Time is running out, but it hasn't run out just yet. There is still a chance that UEFA will request binding guarantees. National football federations could refuse to play in the most repressive countries. Professional athletes could show their emotions, not with a rehearsed media script but with the same raw emotion they bring to the pitch. 

Will any of this happen? I'm not so sure. Football has a long history of turning its back when the price to pay is high. But for the first time in my life, I hope to be proven wrong. 

Otherwise, if the World Cup kicks off in New Jersey and Trump is smirking from the VIP box, with Netanyahu beside him, ICE outside the gates, and Europe shrugging along - then the sport I love will have surrendered something irreplaceable.