FIFA 2026 World Cup so far: the good, the bad, the ugly

The ongoing FIFA World Cup is being co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico and commenced with the group stage games beginning from 12th June, 2026. This is the first time that FIFA has extended the tournament format with 48 nations participating in the global spectacle. 

Hosting such a huge tournament is no mean feat and difficulties were bound to arise. There have been several noteworthy issues with security concerns, VISA delays or denials and discriminatory treatment of some teams. Coupled with these issues, we have also witnessed some highly competitive football, hordes of fans setting the tournament alight along with some wonderful underdog stories. 

Here we take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly at the World Cup so far – 

The Good 

• There was a lot of doubt over an extended format that includes 48 teams as opposed to the initial 32 teams but it has allowed more nations to participate leading to diverse representation at the global stage. New football cultures would be unveiled and teams that had long been missing at the World Cup (Iraq, Norway, DR Congo, Czechia, Austria, Scotland etcetera) have been given the opportunity to proudly represent their nation. Some lesser-known nations like Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde are participating at this World Cup for the first time – an experience of a lifetime. 

• Since football isn’t as popular in North America as South America or Europe, there was concern whether the fans would come in huge numbers to the stadiums and support the teams in the USA but it’s been a pleasant surprise. There was also some concern regarding the pitches but so far so good and the stadiums designs are beautiful as well. There has also been a reasonable turnout of supporters to back their teams so far even for the games involving the lesser-known teams. 

• We have also been able to witness some iconic stadiums like the Estadio Azteca in Mexico which is hosting its third World Cup. It provided an incredible environment and vibe with its Latin-American celebrations at the grand opening ceremony. It featured their traditional papel picado designs along with a massive crowd that induced goose-bumps with their energy and vibe during the opening game. 

• The matches so far have been really competitive with the underdogs showing a lot of passion and fighting against the bigger teams. Special mention to Asian teams like South Korea, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran that have improved their level to a huge extent and are giving a tough fight to the big European and South American teams. Even newcomers like Cape Verde have written their own undeniable story by earning a fighting draw against title contenders Spain and getting their first point of the World Cup. 

• Those who watch the big leagues like the Premier League or LaLiga would know how many erroneous and controversial refereeing decisions happen every week in those leagues. The impact has been so massive that it has also led to teams missing out on the title, teams missing out on European football or even getting relegated. However, this World Cup the refereeing has been on point and games have been fairly officiated. Experienced referees have been selected and they have done a great job so far. Hope we get to see fairly contested matches throughout the tournament without massive blunders affecting the results. 

The Bad 

• Prior to the start of the tournament, there have been several instances of players, referees and even fans from certain nations facing a lot of struggles to secure a VISA for participation or watching games at the tournament. Certain players’ arrival to the host-nation USA was delayed due to VISA not being approved on time and had to miss the initial warm-up games or training sessions. An experienced and respected Somalian referee Omar Artan and several Iranian team staff members were denied a VISA to the USA. Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for hours on his arrival in Chicago and some teams, their players and staff (Senegal and Uzbekistan) have also faced aggressive security screenings while a lot of the other teams have been let-off with easier checks, pointing towards clear discriminatory behaviour. 

• The World Cup is a global tournament followed by millions all over the world and since it’s a quadrennial tournament, fans from home and abroad like to throng the stadiums to watch their favourite teams. However, the extreme pricing of tickets and the transportation cost (travelling to the stadiums) has been made so exorbitant that it has also restricted a lot of fans who can’t afford such an expensive affair. When the proposed bid was made, North America had offered average ticket prices at the rate of $21 but the cheapest ticket has been priced at $60. The face-value tickets for early group stage matches range from $140 up until $3500 to over $10,000 as the tournament will progress. In some major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston and Miami, the cheapest average tickets could range between $700 – $1200. Even the transportation cost is mind-boggling. For example, Train tickets in New Jersey that will take fans to the NYNJ MetLife Stadium through the NJ Transit cost a whopping $150 for just a round trip. Also, these tickets are limited and can only be purchased in advance. Even shuttle buses are charging $80 for one round trip. 

• Another notable aspect has been the criticism of the carbon footprint of this tournament. Since the tournament is being featured over three countries – the USA, Canada and Mexico, it will include a lot of travelling. Transporting 48 teams over three countries for 104 matches would require a lot of air travel and even travel by bus or train will involve a lot of fuel usage, resulting in a carbon footprint. This has irked a lot of environmentalists who believe that there was no need for the extended format. 

• The mandatory ‘Hydration Breaks’ during games has also invited a lot of criticism from viewers, players and football pundits alike. It makes sense if the teams are playing in intense hot and humid conditions but it feels like these breaks have been designed so that the broadcasters can air more commercials rather than the intent to offer players a much-needed reprieve from the heat. 

The Ugly 

• Due to the geopolitical tensions between the USA and Iran as a result of the ongoing war, there have been a lot of issues faced specifically by the Iranian team. Initially, Iran decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup due to the war situation. However, taking into cognizance how much hard work it took for their team to qualify for the tournament, they sought assurance from the US government regarding their players’ security. US President Donald Trump then posted on social media that they cannot provide any assurance for security to the Iranian team. FIFA then intervened and forced Iran to participate in the tournament. With the Iranian team not being allowed in the United States, they decided to set their base camp in Mexico. Since all their group stage games are scheduled in the USA, they have been further asked to travel back to Mexico right after their games leading to fatigue and other issues due to long travelling hours for the Iranian players. 

• Players’ security has also been at risk in both the USA and Mexico. There was a recent report regarding gun violence near the England World Cup base in Missouri. Nine people were injured in the shooting incident. The USA has been notorious for gun violence with 2025 alone witnessing more than 400 shootings across the country. Even Mexico has witnessed Narcoviolence in recent months with the Jalisco cartel putting up road blocks and burning vehicles in Guadalajara after the killing of their leader ‘El Mencho’ in a police operation. Both the countries being co-hosts of the tournament, these shootings and disturbances are a massive threat to the participating teams, their players, staff and even visiting fans.  

• Prior to the World Cup, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) grabbed a lot of limelight due to mass deportations and unfair treatment of immigrants. The Trump administration’s push for mass deportation of immigrants also raised concerns over treatment of the World Cup’s international audience. Neither FIFA nor the US government provided assurances that local or foreign fans won’t be treated unfairly and that the US officials will refrain from ethnic or racial profiling or unlawful detention or deportation. 

Conclusion 

There is no doubt that the USA has ensured that the World Cup matches are being played in top quality, visually aesthetic stadiums with fans filling in reasonable numbers and cheering their teams. However, there are pressing matters being completely ignored by the host nations and FIFA.  FIFA President Gianni Infantino has issued vague responses when asked about the VISA denial issues. The same FIFA didn’t hesitate for a second in stripping Indonesia of hosting the Under-20 World Cup in 2023 when they refused entry to the Israeli U-20 team – it seems there are different rules for different countries.

FIFA’s earlier stance on the World Cup hosts being welcoming is proving to be an inaccurate presumption. In contrast, Qatar and Russia were far more welcoming and yet both nations received a lot of flak from some sections of the foreign media and some former players.  The treatment of some nations’ players during security checks was abominable and treating them differently to others is proof of discrimination. If football is a global sport and the tournament has been extended to 48 teams in order to invite more participation, what kind of a mixed message is this sending to the global audience?  

The World Cup should be a celebration of coming together of different styles of football, cultures and fans and although the matches have been highly competitive so far with exceptional refereeing standards being maintained, the off-the-pitch noise has taken centre-stage and drowned out all the positive vibes of the tournament. We sincerely hope that FIFA takes cognizance of these issues and ensures that such kinds of scenarios do not arise wherever the World Cup is being hosted next or it will gradually start to lose its status as one of the most prestigious and highly anticipated tournaments in the world.