As the dust settles on off-field controversies, let the World Cup soccer begin

The 2026 Fifa World Cup, now just days away, heads to North America in the shadow of off-field events directly affecting its host. It was the same four years ago, when Qatar had to defend itself against serious allegations of migrant labour and human rights abuses, as well as laws that were said to discriminate against the LGBTQIA+ community.

There were also accusations that it had paid bribes to secure its hosting of the event. Coming to Qatar’s defence, Gianni Infantino, president of the world soccer governing body, Fifa, gave his now famous “Today I feel Qatari” speech, saying Europe and the West could hardly dish out lessons on morality given their history.

“We have been told many, many lessons from some Europeans, from the Western world,” Infantino said. “For what we Europeans have been doing [to the rest of the world] over the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”

The 2018 edition of the Fifa World Cup also had its controversies: four years earlier, host Russia had illegally annexed Crimea from neighbour Ukraine. Nevertheless, Infantino was full of praise for the Russians, saying at the conclusion of the tournament: “Today I am a happy man... As far as I am concerned, we all fell in love with Russia [during the World Cup].” Less than four years later, Russia invaded Ukraine and the battle between the two countries still rages on as the Ukrainians defend themselves against President Vladimir Putin’s onslaught.

As Africa’s first World Cup host nation, South Africa also faced scrutiny in the lead-up to 2010. Doomsayers said the infrastructure was not up to standard and the plans for improving it would not be finished in time. The 2008 xenophobic unrest fed directly into this negative narrative, exacerbating external perception that SA was an unsafe and lawless country.

Fast-forward to 2026 and similar storylines can be found – at least where the US, one of the tournament’s three cohosts, is concerned. Although Mexico has faced scrutiny because of its drug cartels clashing with authorities in parts of the country, and Canada’s infrastructure has been criticised, it is the US that has hogged the limelight.

Scrutiny

The US was initially subjected to scrutiny for human rights and immigration-related issues. This was amplified after President Donald Trump’s government decided to join forces with Israel and begin a war against Iran on 28 February. Ironically, Trump had been the recipient of the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize in December 2025. Announcing the launch of the prize, which has the tagline “Football Unites the World”, Fifa said: “The award will be presented to individuals who, through their unwavering commitment and their special actions, have helped to unite people all over the world in peace and consequently deserve a special and unique recognition.”

However, its maiden recipient, Trump, is one of the most divisive figures in the world, and has been since his days as a reality TV star when he was the face of The Apprentice. The Iranian team, which qualified for the World Cup, have had to switch from their chosen base camp in Tucson, Arizona, because of the hostilities between the two countries. They have since switched to Tijuana in Mexico over security concerns.

Iran will still be playing their group G games in the US, though, facing New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt. Their hopes of reaching the next round will be tempered by all the logistical hoops they will have to jump through thanks in part to Fifa’s 2025 Peace Prize winner. And as the Iranian team have faced such pushback from the US government, it’s unlikely that spectators from their country will risk travelling to the US.

In terms of the tournament itself, the 2026 World Cup will make history as the first to have three joint hosts. But it is not the first to have more than one nation hosting. The 2002 edition was cohosted by Japan and South Korea. This will be the first World Cup to feature three separate hosts, but it won’t be the last. The 2030 edition will be jointly staged by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. This World Cup is also the first to have 48 countries participating, an expansion from the previous 32.

Several countries are genuine favourites to win the tournament, not least defending champions Argentina, who will be led by the legendary Lionel Messi. Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, are also in the mix for the title. On paper, the Portuguese have one of the strongest teams at the tournament. Other than Ronaldo (who will play at his sixth World Cup), they will be relying on stars such as Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes and Paris Saint-Germain’s European Champions League winners Vitinha, João Neves and Nuno Mendes. Spain will also be frontrunners for some.

Question marks

Thomas Tuchel’s England team can never be ruled out, either, although former England striker Michael Owen told Daily Maverick earlier this year that the World Cup being held in the US summer would mean conditions were not ideal. He added: “There are also question marks about our defence, especially in the goalkeeping department. But we are good in attacking positions. We have some great attacking players, including Harry Kane, so we have a chance. But I’m still backing France to win it.”

Despite not moving past the quarterfinals of the past two World Cups, five-time champions Brazil can never be written off, especially with Italian tactician Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. The 66-year-old is one of the most successful coaches in soccer history at club level and would love to add a World Cup gold medal to his collection of accolades. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are the countries that will make their debuts at this edition of the global soccer spectacle.

Cape Verde are one of 10 African countries that have qualified thanks to Fifa’s decision to expand the tournament. Previously, only five countries from Africa could participate, but this year Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa will be representing the continent. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.