The 2026 World Cup is set to take place this summer in the USA, with some games also taking place in Mexico and Canada. You know, when this was first announced years ago, I was super excited to see the World Cup finally come back to the States and potentially even finally see a World Cup game in person. That dream was shattered into tiny bite-sized pieces pretty soon after FIFA unveiled how they were going to sell tickets. A lottery system. Yes, FIFA was going to use luck to determine who gets to buy tickets to the game, unless you were planning on buying super expensive travel packages. So that's bad enough, pretty much making it inevitable that a bunch of tickets would end up being resold for higher prices to people who didn't get picked. But then the prices were revealed...
So tickets to the World Cup have been getting more expensive over time; that's not surprising, but what is surprising is how much more expensive they got this time around. Just to put a comparison to the last World Cup, the final game in the 2022 World Cup started at around 200$, and the final game of this year's World Cup starts at 2000$. You're telling me in just 4 years the cheapest final ticket went up by 1800$? How is that even possible? They did end up adding some affordable, cheap seats for less than 100$, but again, it was up to you to win a lottery to gain access to those tickets. If you didn't gain access, well then, it's up to the resale market, and that is a nightmare. I mean, if you were planning on seeing any of the home teams like the USA, Mexico, or Canada, then you'll have to spend even more money because those are very hard to find at a good price. Basically, the more popular the team, the worse the tickets are.
The prices got so bad that even players started speaking out against FIFA for how much they were charging for the games. One of the American players, Tim Weah, gave a comment about how ridiculous the prices are. This led the Team USA coach to rant in an interview, telling his players to stop talking about prices and focus on the game. Basically, the old shut up and dribble argument. God forbid players actually give their opinions on the World Cup and FIFA.
Ticket prices are just one big flaw in the upcoming World Cup; the other big one is the current administration of the United States. Trump and his buddies have been making jokes over the last year about deporting fans who come to watch their teams play, so that's pretty fucked up. I mean, the landscape here has been so hostile towards immigrants since Trump took office again. I think that has really affected how many people actually want to travel from different countries to see their home teams play in the USA. Why travel around the world to a country that doesn't even want you here, or will give you trouble for just visiting? That, on top of playing more than ever to get into a game, can't be very encouraging for fans who usually travel to the World Cup.
The last few weeks, the USA has started a new war with Iran, which is certainly complicating a lot of different things in the World Cup right now. First thing is the fact that Iran itself has already qualified for the World Cup, so that's a big problem when the host country is actively at war with you. I mean, I guess maybe Iran could possibly play in Canada or Mexico instead if that's even an option. That, and a lot of the countries in the Middle East, could potentially be compromised and not have a way to travel to the USA if this war lasts until the summer. Iraq has already tried to postpone a game, as they have a playoff match in late March that could be difficult to get to with the ongoing war in Iran, especially with Iraq being between both Israel and Iran geographically. It's sad because Iraq is actually a good team, and they are the favorites to win this playoff match and make it to the World Cup officially.
So the World Cup is going to be a big mess this summer, and it's already had so many problems even before it's started. With terrible pricing shutting out normal fans, teams that are in danger of missing out due to current events, and a host country that's currently hostile to many participating countries, it's all set to be one of the worst World Cup events in recent memory. Look, it may all work out in the end, and all the countries that qualified could make it and play, and the tournament could end up being a lot of fun. Even if that somehow happens, it doesn't mean we should forget the way FIFA has acted the last few years leading up to this World Cup, and all the greed that's taken over the biggest sports event in the world. FIFA has let greed ruin any good reputation the World Cup has by accepting bribes from host countries and shutting out many fans by pricing them out. Can't forget what happened last time with Qatar, and soon to happen in Saudi Arabia at the 2034 World Cup.
If you don't know by now: FIFA SUCKS.