For the next 39 days, 104 matches will be played across the United States, Mexico, and Canada until a World Cup winner is crowned on 19 July. Amid the excitement surrounding the world's biggest sporting event, intense controversy and scrutiny have also emerged. Ticket prices, transport costs, climate threats, and security concerns have left fans with mixed emotions.
A Host Nation Like No Other
“The US of Donald Trump is tonally different to any host of a major sporting event that has preceded it: a country that actively wants you to see the darkness in its heart, the inhumanity at its core, that gets off on your revulsion,” writes Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew. But ultimately, who takes the blame? FIFA, argues Jonathan.
The Omar Artan Scandal
Opinion: how the Omar Artan scandal reveals Gianni Infantino for what he is: one of sport’s greatest cowards.
Explore more on these topics: World Cup 2026, FIFA.
