The men's World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, starting Thursday and ending on 19 July, is the largest and longest football tournament ever staged, featuring 104 matches involving 48 nations across 16 venues and four time zones.
Scale and Conditions
Whether it will be judged the greatest in sporting terms depends on the 1,248 players competing in grueling conditions, from the heat of Houston to the high altitude of Guadalajara. After a lead-up marred by hubristic hype, visa rows, and exorbitant ticket prices, many will feel relief when Mexico kicks off against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday evening.
Geopolitical Shadows
FIFA presents the tournament as a vision of global unity, but geopolitical conflict looms large. Six months after FIFA president Gianni Infantino awarded Donald Trump a specially created peace prize, the US becomes the only World Cup host to welcome a country it has gone to war with. The Iranian football federation claims key staff have been denied entry to the US. US authorities also denied a visa to Somali referee Omar Artan and refused to lift travel bans for supporters and journalists from other countries. Solidarity among co-hosts has been tempered by Trump's tariff wars and speculation about annexing Canada.
Ticket Controversies
Despite assurances that the world is welcome, Infantino has been powerless to prevent such posturing. He bears responsibility for an opaque, expensive ticketing system that will gentrify stadiums. Earlier this week, 4,400 tickets were still available for the US opening game against Paraguay, with the cheapest FIFA ticket costing $1,120, making a mockery of inclusivity claims.
On-Pitch Spectacle
For global viewers, the focus will be on the pitch. The World Cup delivers a shared experience unmatched by any other sport. The 2022 final between Argentina and France, watched by an estimated 1.5 billion, was one of the greatest spectacles in history. A rematch is tantalizingly possible, but the marathon tournament will feature myriad twists and turns. England dreams of a first final since 1966, Scotland of progressing from the group stage after eight failed attempts. For Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, an inaugural World Cup appearance will be memorable regardless of results. Excessive commercialism may have taken the shine off, but when Curaçao, the smallest nation ever to compete, plays Germany on Sunday, only glory will be on the players' minds. Despite Trump and Infantino's egregious influence, the world's favorite sport retains the capacity to inspire.
