The Challenges Facing the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, bigger and longer than it has ever been before, kicked off on June 11. This year, three countries, the USA, Canada, and Mexico, are hosting the tournament. Soccer fans are ecstatic to see the world’s top players, but there are also some issues with this World Cup.
The World Cup has been expanded to include 48 teams instead of the previous 32. This means that there will be more matches, and as a result, that the tournament will last longer as well.
One of the biggest problems is the commute for players and fans from stadium to stadium around North America. “The matches will be held at 11 stadiums across the US, as well as three stadiums in Mexico and two in Canada,” articulated undefined of the World Cup’s game-to-stadium distribution. This makes it extremely exhausting for teams, as they will have to travel a lot through different time zones. Players need good, guaranteed rest to do their best, and popping back and forth between time zones creates a problem.
Another challenge is the searing summer heat. The World Cup is held from June to July, and global warming is only making the temperatures worse. Experts have warned that this summer’s tournament could be the hottest in history. Though FIFA has inserted 3-minute water breaks around each quarter of a game, players could still get exertional heat illness from working too hard in hot and humid conditions. “Exertional heat stroke while playing a sport is among the leading causes of death in athletes,” stated undefined
Finally, Donald Trump’s efforts to halt immigration has prevented fans from other countries from entering the US, even stopping one of the actual referees from coming as well. People are afraid that Trump might send agents to games to try to catch immigrants deemed ‘illegal’. Mexico also has a safety concern that there might be violence from drug gangs. Additionally, the US war with Iran has raised questions about how the Iran team will play in the World Cup. Iran’s three games are all in the US, and though the players were let in the country, they weren’t allowed to stay the night. “The Iranian men’s soccer team’s quick departure from Los Angeles following its opening World Cup match was always the plan, according to the US government, despite complaints from the team,” stated undefined. The Iranian team is unhappy with having to return to their Mexican training base without evening getting time to recover.
Supporters of the 2026 World Cup might argue that the large outreach of games lets more fans attend a game. However, the exhaustion it imposes on traveling players is too much and needs more attention. Besides, the outrageous ticket prices offered this year are too high to reach most fans.
The World Cup is better off being hosted in one country, in specific stadiums with air conditioning, and without any immigration or safety issues. With so many challenges facing the games, it may be a better choice to stay at home and watch it on TV.