World Cup Games Should Not Be Spread Out

The World Cup is an international football or, for Americans, soccer tournament. This year, the World Cup is being hosted in 16 different locations across three countries: the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico. The World Cup locations shouldn’t be held so far away from each other because players have to take long flights across time zones, teams that don’t travel have an unfair advantage, and because fans can’t watch all of their favorite players in person.

Spreading the match-ups across three whole countries forces the players to take long flights, adjust to different time zones, and face extreme heat waves. Critics warn that this setup risks player safety and ruins the fan experience just to make more money.

When players fly through different time zones, they are expected to adjust within the day. According to Harvard Health, it usually takes around undefined you pass through to adapt, but the farthest some teams may have to travel is up to 2175 miles (3500 kilometers) from Toronto all the way to Los Angeles, consisting of three time zones. That would take three days to adjust, and that is simply not enough time between landing and their practice and game! To solve this, players either must get more time between matches or the stadiums must be closer together.

Also, teams that have matches closer together have an unfair competitive edge against opponents who might not have had as much time after a flight. If a team does not have to move at all between matches, they definitely will be well rested and in a much better condition than the other teams who are flying in from all over the place and have not had time to adjust.

Many fans do not like the spread-out arrangement either, since some of the most popular football stars who defined the sport will be playing their last World Cup this year. Two of the most iconic players leaving international football this year will be Lionel Messi from Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal, who have both confirmed that they intend to step away from international football after this World Cup. Many fans who want to see their heroes in the World Cup cannot at this time, because the teams are constantly moving and because, especially this year, ticket prices are sky high, and some people cannot afford to buy them.

Although this year, there are 48 teams instead of 32, so it makes sense that the World Cup would be spread out, right? No. Spreading out the World Cup creates massive environmental and economic issues that actually weaken the benefits of co-hosting. According to the Greenly Carbon Accounting Platform, the World Cup this year will release around 7.8 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming much more than if they used cars. Also, the 2026 City of Toronto Budget Document states that they spent almost undefinedon the World Cup. Furthermore, cities that those teams are playing in don’t actually receive part of the around $11-$13 billion FIFA makes from hosting.

To help the World Cup stadiums be closer together, stand up for everyone. Organize or be a part of campaigns and sign petitions saying that World Cups should be less spread out and use FIFA Fan Feedback to register complaints about the World Cup stadiums being too far away from each other.