War, racism and Trump: Has corruption overshadowed the 2026 World Cup?

War, racism and Trump: Has corruption overshadowed the 2026 World Cup? Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Tue, 07/14/2026 - 11:01 From travel bans to red card reversals, the World Cup has played out under a cloud of US power and political interference Donald Trump dances after the results of the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup taking place in the US, Canada and Mexico, at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, on 5 December 2025 (David Ramos/Getty Images via AFP) Off It was supposed to be the biggest World Cup in history: 48 teams, three host nations and a record $9bn in Fifa revenue to more than fill the coffers. Instead, the 2026 World Cup may be remembered for dodgy calls on the pitch and two men off the pitch: Donald Trump, determined to use the tournament to bolster his image, and Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president who seemed only too willing to bend the game to the whims of a capricious US president.