World Cup 2026: War, cartels, and FIFA. Polish aid saves Ukraine

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is making history as the first tri-nation tournament. However, FIFA sought a calm North American venue after scandals in Russia and Qatar, only to find itself embroiled in global political and business tensions.

The organization of the tournament coincides with significant international polarization, evidenced by US attacks on targets in Iran and diplomatic strains within North America. In this challenging environment, FIFA President Gianni Infantino's relationship with US President Donald Trump has proven crucial. According to Michał Banasiak of the Polish Institute of Sports Diplomacy, their close cooperation is purely pragmatic, with both leaders needing each other to ensure the tournament runs smoothly, profitably, and in a way that benefits their respective images.

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to say about this pragmatic friendship and it is the absolute truth, because the gentlemen need each other to carry out this tournament smoothly, profitably, and in a way that is also visually satisfactory for both of them.

Infantino has long sought to maintain good relations with Washington, remembering how US Department of Justice actions in 2015 exposed corruption within FIFA and led to Sepp Blatter's downfall. In this dynamic, the White House dictates terms, as seen in restrictive visa procedures that forced Iran's national team to be based in Tijuana, Mexico, and fly into the US only for short game windows.

The 2026 World Cup also represents a "triumph of commercialization," which authors of a PIDS report term the "Americanization of football." A dynamic sales system has driven ticket prices to historic highs, with a final match ticket costing $7,700. FIFA is also profiting by taking a 15% commission on every transaction through its official resale platform. Banasiak criticizes these developments, stating, "it is outrageous and I absolutely do not intend to become an advocate for FIFA here." He questions the extent to which football should remain accessible to all, rather than being solely dictated by market forces.

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it is outrageous and I absolutely do not intend to become an advocate for FIFA here. (...) This is probably a discussion that will continue for a long time in the fan community (...) to what extent football should be available to everyone and should be somehow protected from the typical good where the mythical hand of the market, the mythical, invisible hand of the market decides on prices, and to what extent it is simply part of business and let FIFA do whatever it wants.