The FIFA World Cup returns to the United States for the first time in 32 years with neighbours Mexico and Canada also sharing some of the hosting duties this time around. Here’s how things stand with six months to go for the tournament.
Six months are all that’s left for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – the biggest sporting event of the year – to get underway, with the excitement for the month-long footballing extravaganza getting more palpable with each passing day.
The FIFA World Cup – the largest and the most prestigious sporting event in the world involving a single discipline – returns to the United States for the first time in 32 years, with Brazil having defeated Italy in 1994 to win the fourth of their five titles.
And while the US had hosted the tournament entirely by itself the last time, neighbours Mexico and Canada will be sharing some of the hosting duties this time around. The Americans though, have the lion’s share of fixtures on their turf including the final.
It’s also the second time in as many years that the US is hosting a high-profile tournament in football, or ‘soccer’, the term that Americans prefer. FIFA had hosted an expanded 32-team Club World Cup in this country last summer, with Chelsea defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the final at the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The World Cup is also set to be bigger than ever this year with a total of 48 teams in action – up from 32 that had been the case from 1998 to 2022 – from 11 June to 19 July.
But where exactly does the tournament stand at the moment in terms of preparation as well as ticket sales? Here’s what you need to know:
Trump remains at the heart of World Cup preparations
President Donald Trump can almost be considered the face of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, even if the United States isn’t the sole host for the tournament. FIFA has made its biggest push into the American market yet by hosting two major events in successive years, event which just happens to occur during Trump’s second term as president.
And whether one supports Trump and the Grand Old Party or not, one cannot deny the fact that he is a polarising figure. And thanks to his influence, football fans are viewing the World Cup through the prism of Trump administration’s policies as well.
The biggest talking point as far as Trump and the upcoming World Cup are concerned happens to be travel bans slapped on various nations by the US, some of which will be taking part in the upcoming tournament.
Trump has also launched a nation-wide crackdown on illegal immigrants through the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and has spoken of relocating matches away from ‘Blue Cities’ – cities where voters primarily favour the Democratic Party.
However, it remains to be seen if FIFA, whose president Gianni Infantino has gone out of his way to ensure good relations with Trump – going so far as to make him the inaugural recipient of the ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ – goes through with such a request.
Trump’s recent capture of Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro as well as his plans to annex Denmark from Greenland further created tension ahead of the tournament, with the latter straining US’ ties with several European nations.
Concerns over visas, travel
Trump’s policies, naturally, have led to concerns for the upcoming World Cup and whether fans in countries that have been slapped with travel restrictions will be able to make their way to the United States to cheer for their team or not. And let’s not forget the fact that it’s a two-tier issue for traveling supporters – not only will they have to worry about getting a visa, planning travel from one city to another across the three host nations as well as accommodation are some of the other things to be taken into account.
Canada and Mexico are a lot more liberal compared to the US and it is expected to stay that way come June, when fans are expected to arrive in big numbers from all over the world. However, getting to the US from these countries will remain a challenge. And with the US hosting the all matches from the quarter-finals, fans are bound to come across such a situation if their team ends up doing the distance.
Dynamic ticket pricing leaves fans divided
It’s not just travel that will be a challenge for those arriving from all over the world for the tournament. It’s one thing to get a visa and enter the ‘States’. It’s one thing to enter the US and set up camp in one of the cities. It is an entirely different challenge for fans to buy tickets – whether one is discussing its availability or its affordability.
FIFA, after all, have introduced a dynamic pricing model for tickets in the upcoming tournament, wherein the prices are adjusted according to demand.
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