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- World Cup without a world Cup: what scandals are coming to the start of the 2026 World Cup
World Cup without a world Cup: what scandals are coming to the start of the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup starts on June 11 in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The first-ever World Cup with the participation of 48 national teams was at the center of several high-profile scandals even before the start of the matches. Visa restrictions for individual participants, the deportation of the Somali referee, record ticket price increases and the continued suspension of the Russian national team have made the upcoming tournament one of the most discussed sporting events in recent months. The main problems and conflicts around the 2026 World Cup are described in the Izvestia article.
Ban of Russia
The Russian national team's suspension from international tournaments is not only the story of the upcoming World Cup. It was the beginning of the politicization of major football competitions in recent years. Due to the decisions of FIFA and UEFA, our team was unable to participate in either the 2022 World Cup in Qatar or Euro 2024 in Germany.
Russia has not held an official games since February 2022. The national team was suspended less than a month before the play-off match of the selection for the 2022 World Cup against Poland, in which Valery Karpin's team entered, taking second place in their group.
After the Polish national team refused to go to Moscow, FIFA did not award a technical defeat to the opponent, but suspended Russia. Poland automatically qualified for the next round. Our team was no longer allowed to qualify for Euro 2024, and after the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualification in December 2024, it became clear that this tournament would be held without Russia.
Iranians without visas
The US and Israeli military operation against Iran has called into question the participation of the Islamic Republic's national team in the World Cup. The team will have to play all three group stage matches in the United States, and amid the escalation of the conflict in March, the Iranian Sports Ministry has repeatedly allowed the possibility of a boycott of the tournament.
Such a development would be a serious blow to FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino. The head of world football does not hide his good relations with Donald Trump. Therefore, Iran's possible refusal to participate would inevitably turn into a loud political scandal surrounding the World Cup. Moreover, in the entire history of the tournament, not a single team that has already won a ticket to the final has boycotted the World Cup.
However, by the middle of spring, after the reduction of tensions in the Middle East, the talk of a boycott gradually faded. At the same time, the Trump administration announced the possibility of restricting the issuance of visas to part of the Iranian delegation.
As a result, the players received permission to enter the United States, but some of the coaching staff and support staff did not receive visas. They will be based in Mexico during the tournament.
"The visas required by Iran to participate in the World Cup, including visas for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued. We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to smuggle terrorists into the United States under false pretexts," the White House said in a statement.
The Iranian Football Federation called such restrictions discrimination. In addition, the national team was allowed to stay in the United States only during matches, and between games the team will also reside in Mexico. The quota for tickets for Iranian fans has also been lifted.
A judge from Somalia
Omar Abdulkadir Artan is considered one of the most famous football referees in Africa. In 2025, he was recognized as the best judge on the continent. Since 2018, he has been one of the FIFA referees and previously became the first representative of Somalia appointed to the matches of the African Cup of Nations. This year Artan was included in the list of referees of the World Championship.
Umpire Omar Abdulkadir Artan
However, a few days before the start of the tournament, the 34-year-old referee found himself at the center of a scandal. Upon arrival in Miami at the invitation of FIFA, despite a valid American visa and a diplomatic passport, he was detained at the airport. After an 11-hour interrogation, Artan was placed in isolation and then deported from the United States.
Later, the State Department announced the cancellation of the judge's visa due to his "possible links with radical groups." After that, FIFA excluded Artan from the list of referees of the World Cup.
The judge's return to his homeland caused a wide response in Somalia. Hundreds of compatriots met him at the airport, and later Artan was received at his residence by the Prime Minister of the country.
Ticket prices
Back in the fall, it became clear that tickets for the 2026 World Cup would be significantly more expensive than for previous world Championships in Russia and Qatar. Compared to the 2022 tournament, the minimum cost of tickets of the first category for the group stage matches has doubled, and the fourth — six times at once.
The opening match in Mexico City has increased especially noticeably: prices have tripled for the first category, and six—fold for the fourth. The most expensive tickets are sold for the games in the United States, where their cost, depending on the category, ranges from $400 to $2,000.
Despite the high prices, FIFA managed to sell most of the tickets. However, among the fans, the organizers' pricing policy caused serious dissatisfaction.
Additional questions about the organization of the tournament arose for other reasons. In particular, it was reported about the harsh inspections of football players upon entry into the United States. In addition, there was a shootout near the England national team base, and shortly after that, the team's area was in the earthquake zone.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
