2026 World Cup: Spain's Triumph Overshadowed by FIFA Controversies and Human Rights Concerns

Football didn't have it easy at the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

There were questionable decisions by FIFA, the sport's governing body, as well as a lot of spectacle and a final in which only one team actually played football.

After a total of 104 games in this biggest-ever World Cup, Spain were deservedly crowned champions, and, for the first time, a country's men's and women's teams are simultaneously world champions.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the tournament as the "greatest sporting, social and cultural event in humanity."

US President Donald Trump congratulated FIFA on what he called "one of the all-time greatest sporting events in history."

But was it really? Here's what will be remembered.

How did viewers receive the biggest Cup yet?

Fears of empty stadiums — especially in the United States, where international football isn't the No. 1 sport — proved unfounded. According to FIFA, 6,810,966 fans attended the tournament, the first to be co-hosted by three countries. This set a new record for World Cup attendance.

Given that the schedule featured 104 matches, instead of 64 at previous tournaments, record attendance is no surprise. The average match attendance was about 65,000, and, according to FIFA, 99.7% of all available seats were filled. However, many empty seats were visible in stadiums, especially during the group stage.

Hydration breaks draw criticism

Fans criticized the newly introduced hydration breaks. Most coaches, however, supported the breaks — or, at least, did not complain about them.

Uruguay’s now-former coach, Marcelo Bielsa, on the other hand, criticized the additional opportunity to influence the game.

"Playing four halves instead of two changes the culturally shaped perception of football," he said. "These breaks add nothing to the game, but take a lot away from it."

The 2026 World Cup's many surprises

World Cup newcomer Cape Verde caused quite a stir. The small African nation held eventual world champions Spain to a 0-0 draw and narrowly lost to defending champions Argentina in extra time in the round of 32.

The Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated a 1-1 draw against Portugal and its superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo. Paraguay knocked Germany out of the tournament in the round of 32. Curacao, the smallest World Cup participant, made history by scoring their first-ever World Cup goal against Germany and earned their first-ever World Cup point against Ecuador.

Price madness at World Cup

This World Cup was expensive. Fans had to dig deep into their pockets for tickets, hotels, parking fees and flights. Prices inside the stadiums caused additional frustration. In the United States, beer prices could top $20 (€17.50), French fries ran €17, and even a bottle of water fetched €7.

In Mexico, too, food and drinks were significantly more expensive than usual. At the Azteca Stadium, where the opening match took place, a beer cost the equivalent of about €15.50 — almost as much as the country's minimum daily wage.

Donald Trump's World Cup

There was widespread concern that Trump might use the World Cup to advance his political agenda. After all, the US president had repeatedly declared the tournament to be his personal prestige project. Yet Trump didn’t show up at the stadium until the final and largely kept a low profile during the tournament.

Nevertheless, the 80-year-old sparked the biggest scandal of the tournament. After US forward Folarin Balogun was shown a red card, Trump successfully lobbied FInfantino to review the automatic ban for the next game.

Balogun was allowed to play in the round-of-16 match against Belgium, but couldn't stop the United States from losing 4-1.

"The current FIFA president has bowed to Donald Trump," said Sepp Blatter, Infantino's predecessor as FIFA boss. However, the criticism is unlikely to jeopardize Infantino's reelection as FIFA president should he seek the post a third time in March 2027.

World Cup incidents

The war in the Middle East and unrest in Mexico had raised significant security concerns in the run-up to the tournament. Though the games largely went off without a hitch in Canada and the United States, there were several incidents in Mexico. Fans stormed an already overcrowded fan zone in Guadalajara, in another incident a car plowed into a crowd following a national team win, and several people died during victory celebrations in Mexico City.

Like numerous fans, particularly from African countries, Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry into the United States despite having a valid visa, with US authorities alleging that he had ties to a terror organization in his home country. Artan is expected to receive his salary for the World Cup.

The World Cup human rights situation

Many human rights organizations have given FIFA an extremely poor rating.

"This World Cup has been played against a backdrop of the US government’s abusive immigration crackdown," said Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch.

She said there had been a "failure by FIFA to uphold its own human rights standards."

This seems to contradict FIFA's claims of the "most inclusive World Cup in history."

"FIFA had promised that everyone could feel safe. The truth is different. ICE, for example, has doubled the number of arrests," said Daniel Norona of Amnesty International USA.

Ronan Evain, of the fan organization "Football Supporters Europe," criticized the opaque process for issuing visas to fans, particularly those from non-European countries.

"Our observations have revealed little or no evidence that ticket holders from Africa and Asia actually received visas to enter the US," Evain said.

What's next after the World Cup?

Infantino has discussed his desire to further expand the World Cup, from 48 to 64 teams. Instead of the current 104 matches, there would then be 128.

"That is definitely an issue that will be examined after this World Cup and discussed within the committees," Infantino told the Swiss broadcaster blue Sport.

Despite the widespread criticism of Infantino, his position as FIFA president is not in jeopardy. On the contrary: More games mean more money that he can distribute to the member nations.

If reelected in March, Infantino would be in charge until 2031, a year after the next World Cup, which is to be spread over three continents. A total of three games will be played in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina before the tournament moves to Spain, Portugal and Morocco.