One hundred and four matches involving 48 competing nations, to be played in 16 venues across a continent and four time zones: the sheer scale of the men’s World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico, which begins on Thursday and ends on 19 July, makes it easily the biggest and longest football tournament ever staged.
Whether it will ultimately be judged the greatest in sporting terms will depend on the 1,248 players competing in gruelling conditions, ranging from the heat of Houston to the high altitude of Guadalajara. But after a lead-up marred by hubristic hype, visa rows and the eye-watering cost of buying tickets for games, for many people it will be a relief when Mexico finally kick off against South Africa in the Estadio Azteca on Thursday evening.
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Fifa, world football’s governing body, likes to present its showpiece tournament as a sporting vision of global unity. But in Donald Trump’s United States, the dark shadow of geopolitical conflict is inescapable. Six months after Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, cravenly awarded Mr Trump a specially created peace prize, the US is about to become the only World Cup host nation to welcome a participating country with which it has gone to war. The Iranian football federation claims that key members of staff have been refused entry to the US.
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US authorities have also denied a visa to the Fifa‑appointed referee Omar Artan, from Somalia, and gracelessly bucked World Cup precedent by refusing to lift travel bans for supporters and journalists from other countries deemed undesirable. Any spirit of solidarity between the three co-hosts had already been tempered by Mr Trump’s tariff wars and his speculation over the “annexing” of Canada.
Despite previous assurances that the “world is welcome in America”, Mr Infantino has been powerless to prevent such Maga posturing. He also bears direct responsibility for an opaque and outrageously expensive ticketing system that will gentrify World Cup stadiums as never before. Tellingly, 4,400 tickets were still available on a resale portal earlier this week for the US’s opening game against Paraguay, while the cheapest available Fifa ticket for the match cost $1,120. Such prices make a mockery of talk about “inclusivity”.
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For viewers around the globe, however, and in US watch parties and British pubs, it will be all about events on the pitch. Once again, the World Cup will deliver a globally shared experience, with a reach that no other sport can get near. The 2022 final between Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Kylian Mbappé’s France was watched by an estimated 1.5bn and served up one of the greatest spectacles in the history of the game. A rematch next month is a tantalising possibility. But this marathon tournament will feature myriad twists and turns along the way.
England will dream of a first final since 1966, Scotland of progressing from the group stage after eight failed attempts. For four countries – Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan – an inaugural World Cup appearance will be memorable irrespective of results. Excessive commercialisation and money-grubbing may have taken the shine off a little. But when Curaçao, the smallest country ever to compete on this stage, play Germany on Sunday, only glory will be on the players’ minds. Notwithstanding President Trump and Mr Infantino’s egregious influence, the world’s favourite sport retains the capacity to inspire.
