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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be one of the most controversial tournaments in history. Join us as we break down the biggest scandals surrounding the upcoming competition, from skyrocketing ticket prices and climate concerns to political interference and LGBTQIA disputes. Which controversy do you think is the most outrageous? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00In soccer, we have referees, and they have cards.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're explaining the biggest scandals involving the 2026 edition
00:09of international football's premier tournament, the FIFA World Cup, which is taking place in
00:14the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico. We've just never seen anything like it.
00:19Climate concerns. Due to safety concerns for the players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,
00:24the tournament, which is usually played from June to July, was moved to November and December.
00:28We put the stadium in a virtual environment, which is the computer, and we simulate it every second
00:35for the last 30 years, the weather. The issues with playing in the U.S. summer were highlighted
00:40when the country hosted the 2025 Club World Cup, as temperatures reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit or
00:4536 degrees Celsius. In 2025, an article by Queen's University Belfast predicted that nearly 90% of
00:52U.S. stadiums could face dangerous levels of heat for the players. Summer World Cup games will be
00:56played in 11 stadiums throughout the U.S. Only four of those have roots to block the heat from the
01:01sun.
01:02To combat this, FIFA is planning to introduce hydration breaks. Another environmental aspect
01:06is the massive carbon footprint. Scientists for Global Responsibility calculated the 2026 edition
01:11could produce the most carbon dioxide in the tournament's history.
01:14And as a countdown to the kickoff continues, all eyes are not just on the pitch,
01:20but on FIFA's environmental playbook. Fan travel. With the 2026 edition being held across three
01:25countries, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, there's a lot more traveling for fans. It means it's going
01:30to be a pretty hefty bill for England fans, any fans from around the world, to go to this World
01:36Cup.
01:36As such, the costs are significantly higher. In 2026, the BBC calculated the accommodation,
01:41meals, and travel fees for England and Scotland fans. Put together with a family of four in mind,
01:45for the English, the cost could be as high as £22,000, nearly $30,000. For Scots,
01:50it could be over £25,000, or around $34,000. So the question is, is this the new norm,
01:56or is this an incident in the history of the World Cup? Another outrage is the increase in local
02:00transport costs. A train from New York City to New Jersey's MetLife Stadium during the tournament
02:04is as much as $150, with no reduction for concessions, and a shuttle bus is priced at $80.
02:09FIFA is making $11 billion off of this World Cup. FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don't,
02:17I'm not going to let New Jersey commuters get taken for one.
02:20Mexico concerns. With three Mexican cities hosting 13 World Cup matches,
02:24the country's a vital part of the tournament.
02:26A much-needed makeover for Mexico's historic Azteca Stadium,
02:30soon to be the only venue to ever host three World Cup opening games.
02:35At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the mistreatment of workers improving and building stadiums was
02:39a major scandal. So it didn't help in 2025 when FIFA was accused by the building and woodworkers
02:44International Trade Union of blocking an inspection of employee conditions at Mexico's Estadio Azteca.
02:49Further issues arose in 2026 when violence erupted following the death of the Jalisco New Generation
02:55cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho.
02:59It is important to realize with this particular cartel, they're not the biggest cartel in Mexico,
03:06but they are probably the most violent and almost certainly the best armed.
03:11While there were calls to replace Mexico as a host nation, FIFA downplayed the concerns.
03:15In 2026, Mexico announced that 100,000 security personnel would be deployed to keep people safe
03:19during the tournament.
03:20We can't rule anything out. That's why we're putting security measures in place at every stadium.
03:24The Super Bowl World Cup.
03:26For Americans, the Super Bowl's halftime show is a vital part of the event.
03:29For football fans, halftime is for getting beverages and snacks.
03:32However, in 2024, FIFA announced the World Cup final would have a halftime show for the first time in its
03:36history.
03:37There's already now a list of artists.
03:39So imagine like 10 Super Bowl style artists all playing at the halftime show.
03:44On top of criticism that the football authority is attempting to Americanize the sport,
03:48there are concerns by experts that it could severely affect players' recovery time and flow of the match.
03:52It's terrible. I would hate this. You're already just sitting there waiting.
03:56You want to go back out there.
03:58You know that the possibilities of you getting injured, the more time you stand around increase.
04:02So it does you no good from the player.
04:04To combat this, FIFA plans for the show to last 15 minutes, not the typical 30 minutes for the Super
04:08Bowl.
04:09Regardless of the time, this implementation has led to accusations that FIFA is focusing more on financial gain
04:14rather than the sport it represents.
04:16But is it broken?
04:17No.
04:18So what are we trying to fix?
04:19The Pride Match.
04:21To promote the LGBTQIA plus community, it was determined that there would be a Pride Match during the 2026 World
04:26Cup,
04:27which was to be organized by Seattle's Pride Match Advisory Committee.
04:30The rainbow flags, signs, and support you see on Pride Weekend
04:34were already planned to carry over to the World Cup Pride Match on June 26th at Lumen Field.
04:40Following the release of the schedule, it was determined that the game labeled as the Pride Match
04:43would be Egypt versus Iran in their group G bout.
04:45Both nations have laws against homosexuality, some of which can result in fatal punishments.
04:50In Egypt, LGBTQ people risk arrest under vague morality laws.
04:54While in Iran, homosexuality is illegal and can even carry the death penalty.
05:00In response to this news, officials in Egypt and Iran publicly expressed their objections to the match,
05:04with the former sending a letter to FIFA formally protesting against the Pride Match.
05:08In response, Seattle's Pride Match Advisory Committee called for FIFA to continue with the plans to celebrate the LGBTQIA plus
05:15community.
05:16FWC 26 will be moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride Weekend
05:22and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ plus leaders, artists, and business owners
05:28to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.
05:32Angering Player Unions
05:34In 2017, FIFA announced the 2026 World Cup would be expanded from 32 nations to 48,
05:39increasing the overall matches from 64 to 80 with three nation groups.
05:43It is going to be much larger than any World Cup before.
05:46However, when FIFA went with four nation groups, increasing the matches to 104,
05:50player unions were critical of adding more games to an already congested schedule.
05:54An increase in matches has been connected to a rise in serious injuries to players,
05:57especially when a substantial season break is disrupted by international and club tournaments.
06:01We have now an international match calendar, which is beyond saturation.
06:07In 2025, following news that FIFA planned to increase participating nations at the 2030 edition to 64
06:13and fixture congestion from the Club World Cup, the organization agreed to meet with player unions.
06:18However, FIFA Pro wasn't invited and accused FIFA of meeting with fake unions.
06:23I think this is a more complicated issue than it may first seem.
06:28The Iran issue
06:29During the 2025 to 2026 protests, several Iranian athletes and footballers were killed,
06:34leading to calls for FIFA to ban the country from the tournament,
06:37as well as criticism against the footballing authority for remaining silent.
06:40Following the start of the 2026 Iran War, there was further controversy in letting them compete at the tournament,
06:46as Iran and the U.S., one of the hosts, were on opposite sides.
06:49Iran's national team is due to play two matches in Los Angeles in mid-June,
06:53and another in Seattle later the same month.
06:57This was exacerbated by U.S. President Donald Trump advising Iran to not go for their own life and safety.
07:02I'm writing on Truth Social Thursday, quote,
07:04The Iran national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup,
07:07but I really don't believe it's appropriate that they be there.
07:10His administration reportedly contacted FIFA to request that Iran be replaced with Italy,
07:15which failed to qualify for the World Cup.
07:17Recently, Trump rolled back his hesitation after FIFA president Gianni Infantino rejected replacing Iran.
07:22And of course, Iran will play in the United States of America.
07:29Ticket issues.
07:30As soon as the tickets went live online, there were problems as the system was glitchy.
07:33Some fans saw error messages, while others were booted out completely.
07:37Yet somehow it only got worse for supporters.
07:39The biggest issue has been the cost,
07:41as FIFA implemented a dynamic pricing system, charging more for higher demand games.
07:45People are very, very upset, particularly because the culture
07:50around the World Cup is one of affordability for everyone.
07:55In 2022, final tickets were priced around $1,600.
07:58For 2026, it was nearly $11,000.
08:01FIFA also implemented an official ticket reselling site.
08:04However, tickets for the final were being sold for an eye-watering $2.3 million,
08:08with FIFA getting 30% of sales.
08:10So, fans might also look to the unofficial but perfectly legal resale sites.
08:16Here's one of them.
08:17It's actually got an investor in the Chelsea corner, Todd Bowley.
08:22And here we see the England game against Panama.
08:24Tickets from £454 up to well over £4,000.
08:30Other issues have included complaints that fans were misled over their seating choice,
08:34and that companions for disabled supporters have struggled to get tickets
08:37or have been unable to be seated near each other.
08:39Not everyone's welcome.
08:40Usually, the World Cup has a chance to broaden one's horizons
08:43and enjoy cultures from nations other than one's own.
08:45Globally, this is the apex of excitement for men's soccer fans around the world.
08:51Yet the 2026 edition, especially with the U.S. being the major host,
08:54has been criticized by activists for its hostility to several countries.
08:57In 2025, the U.S. implemented a travel ban for nationals from Haiti and Iran,
09:01while the Ivory Coast and Senegal faced restrictions.
09:04This is unacceptable and irresponsible.
09:06As a Senegalese person, I hate this.
09:09The decision that the president made for the Senegalese people is unacceptable.
09:13We love football, and it's the World Cup.
09:15While the government issued an exemption for athletes, staff, and immediate families,
09:18both for the World Cup and the Olympics,
09:20this still left unrelated supporters facing visa issues when entering the U.S.
09:24There's also been international concern from the media and human rights groups
09:27that the U.S.'s immigration and customs enforcement, a.k.a. ICE, could cause problems for supporters.
09:33When we reached out to FIFA, there hasn't been anything in set.
09:37They say that they understand the concerns and kind of just kind of leave it at that.
09:46Before we continue, check out the single from Sound Mojo's album Balance,
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10:12FIFA's relationship with Donald Trump
10:14FIFA's rules state that the organization should be politically impartial.
10:17However, Infantino has been accused of breaking this with his relationship with Trump.
10:21You're part of the FIFA team.
10:23That's good.
10:23In 2025, he awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, claiming he significantly contributed
10:28to world peace.
10:29Trump called it one of the greatest honors of his life.
10:32We saved millions and millions of lives.
10:34The Congo, as an example, over 10 million people killed, and it was heading for another
10:3910 million very quickly.
10:41The decision was heavily criticized, especially following the U.S.'s actions with Venezuela and
10:45Greenland, and led to accusations of corruption.
10:48Infantino has defended the decision, claiming Trump objectively deserved it.
10:51Infantino's relationship with the U.S. president has also drawn outrage from UEFA, Europe's football
10:56authority.
10:57In 2025, he was late to the FIFA Congress because he was accompanying Trump on his golf trip.
11:01This three-hour delay sparked UEFA representatives to walk out in protest and publicly criticize
11:05Infantino's private politics.
11:07UEFA explained their actions.
11:09To have the timetable changed at the last minute for what appears to be simply to accommodate
11:14private political interests, does the game no service and appears to put its interests
11:19second?
11:19Is the 2026 World Cup going to be the most controversial in FIFA's history, or was another tournament
11:24more scandalous?
11:25Let us know below.
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