As World Cup host, the US is sportsmaxxing through war and genocide

As World Cup host, the US is sportsmaxxing through war and genocide Submitted by Abdullah Al-Arian on Tue, 06/09/2026 - 09:00 For fans and visitors arriving in the United States, football's biggest tournament is becoming another showcase for American power, chauvinism and hostility Fans hold Palestinian flags during the Fifa Club World Cup Group B match between Seattle Sounders and Paris Saint-Germain at Lumen Field stadium in Seattle, United States, on 23 June 2025 (Juan Mabromata/AFP) Off As the 2026 Fifa World Cup kicks off in North America, the tournament is already living up to expectations of a hostile and exclusionary reception by its main host nation. With dozens of national teams from around the globe descending on the United States for the tournament, reports are already surfacing of harassment of players at US airports and denials of visas for federation staff members, foreign journalists and fans. This treatment comes mere weeks after more than 120 rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International, issued an unprecedented travel warning for visitors to this summer's games, citing gun violence, violent immigration enforcement, invasive surveillance and what it described as a "deteriorating human rights situation".