7 Ways the World Cup Is Already a Disaster
From a Somali referee being denied entry to the U.S. to Iran's team facing 'discriminatory' treatment, the 2026 World Cup is turning out to be even more problematic than expected.
Under the authoritarian rule of Donald Trump and amid the war in Iran, World Cup teams and fans were already expecting a subpar tournament in U.S. host cities this year. More than a quarter of the countries participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup face U.S. travel bans, restrictions, or high visa rejection rates for fans. Human rights groups have been warning for months about the promised presence of ICE in U.S. host cities. And tickets were out of reach for many fans of the world’s most popular sport due to FIFA’s exorbitant prices this year.
But as teams, fans, and journalists arrive in the U.S. ahead of this week’s opening matches, it’s clear the 2026 World Cup is turning out to be even more of a shitshow than expected.
From American immigration officials handing out a red card to a Somali referee to FIFA allegedly scamming those looking to attend the games, here are seven of the biggest ways the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already a disaster:
1. Iran’s Team Faces ‘Discriminatory’ Treatment
In the shadow of the illegal U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Iranian officials have called on FIFA to address the “deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team” by the U.S.
The Islamic Republic’s national team lost its ticket allocations for its matches just days before the World Cup is set to begin. Plus, the country’s team must reportedly enter and exit the U.S. on the same day of its games, and several key staffers were denied entry visas into the U.S.
2. Somali Referee Denied Entry to the U.S.
Somalia’s Omar Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football (Caf) men’s referee of the year, was barred from entering the U.S. at Miami International Airport after an 11-hour immigration interview.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” said Artan.
It should be noted that Somalis have been frequent targets of Trump’s racist outbursts since he retook power last year.
3. Iraqi Striker Questioned for Hours at Chicago Airport
Teams arriving at U.S. airports are experiencing the full brunt of Trump’s harsh immigration policies. Iraq’s striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare and had his phone inspected before entering the country. The team’s official photographer was denied entry after also being questioned for hours.
A Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson told CBS that "admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection."
4. African and Iranian Journalists’ Movement Restricted
International journalists are being denied the necessary visas to cover the tournament, which is being hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. “Countless” African and Iranian journalists can’t follow their teams across the host countries because they were given “single-entry” visas to the U.S., according to the International Sports Press Association.
5. U.S. Opener Still Not Sold Out
There were 132 tickets still available for the U.S. opener against Paraguay as of Tuesday afternoon.
6. Is FIFA Scamming Fans?
FIFA faced criticism over accusations that it was dumping unsold tickets for several matches on third-party resale sites for a fraction of the original cost. Critics accused FIFA of attempting to avoid chargeback and refund requests for the original tickets sold at exorbitant prices on the official FIFA website.
FIFA has not publicly responded to the accusations. It has previously said it “established a ticket sales and secondary-market model that reflects standard ticket-market practices for major sporting and entertainment events across the host countries.”
7. Strikes in U.S. Cities on the Horizon
Hospitality and food and beverage workers across U.S. host cities are threatening to strike and walk off the job unless their demands for wage increases and protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are met.
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The FIFA World Cup unites people across the world every four years in support of the beautiful game, but in 2026, it will likely unite them in their disdain for Trump’s weaponization of the sport, rather than the sport itself.
Zeteo’s Mohammed Abdelbary contributed to this piece.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove the references to the treatment of the Senegalese and Uzbek national teams by security in the U.S. After publication, the Uzbek team said the footage of security dogs checking their bags was from outside a stadium, and the inspections were standard procedure. The Senegalese team said the footage showing their players being checked by security took place in North Carolina, not Texas, as previously reported. It also said the tarmac security checks were part of an arrangement to expedite travel, per Reuters. It was also updated with the CBP statement.
Check out more of Zeteo’s recent coverage of the World Cup, including the first episode of our new 3-part series: ‘The Dark Side of the World Cup’:
Trump doesn't care. He enjoys the fear factor this brings across the world. He doesn't care about the lost revenue. Just like he doesn't care about the U.S. economy, unless something directly impacts him personally.
He also doesn't care about the lost reputation of the United States to the rest of the world. All he cares about is putting the fear of Trump into everyone across the world. Which is having the opposite effect but he's too stupid to understand that.
This will blow over, like so many other things, but it will leave a bad taste for FIFA and the U.S. with people all across the world for years to come.
The Global Embarrassment continues. Serves them right for sucking up. Doesn't have a grateful cell in his gelatinous body.