The biggest World Cup in history opened Thursday at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, and the football hasn't even started yet but the tournament is already deep in controversy. Travel bans, a war, ticket prices that would make a hedge fund manager wince — this is the backdrop to 104 matches across three countries over six weeks.
Mexico vs South Africa gets things going at the iconic Azteca, a venue that hosted World Cup football in 1970 and 1986. It's a ceremonially tidy opener. Everything around it is considerably messier.
Immigration, war, and a referee who never got his flight
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown has already claimed a high-profile victim. Somali referee Omar Artan — award-winning, by any measure qualified — was barred from entering the United States and dropped from the tournament. The global reaction was outrage, and rightly so. FIFA's stated goal of making this the most "inclusive" World Cup ever has not survived contact with US border policy.
Iran's situation cuts even deeper. The US and Israel's military strikes on Iran have destabilised the region and cast a shadow over the Iranian squad's participation. The team relocated its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, after visa problems and revoked tickets. Iranian players arrived wearing lapel pins in tribute to victims of a missile strike on an elementary school. That's not symbolism for the cameras — that's grief worn on a jersey.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has spent considerable energy cultivating Donald Trump, awarding him the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize and letting a golden Club World Cup trophy sit in the Oval Office. The political cosiness has not translated into a smooth tournament for teams or fans from countries affected by US foreign policy.
Ticket prices that beggar belief
Then there's the money. General sale tickets ranged from $140 to $8,680 when they went on sale in January. Final tickets have since climbed to $32,970. FIFA's own resale marketplace listed four final tickets in April at just under $2.3 million each — each — and FIFA takes a 30% commission on every resale transaction. Parking costs up to $175. Train fares in New Jersey jumped from $12.90 to $98 per trip. Fans have called it a "monumental betrayal." That's not hyperbole — those are the prices.
Infantino compared demand to "1,000 years of World Cups at once" and says all 104 matches will be sold out. A recent Ipsos poll found 26% of Americans are "at least somewhat excited" about the tournament. Seven percent described themselves as "extremely or very excited." Hotel bookings across the 11 US host cities have come in lighter than expected.
For the World Cup betting markets, the low domestic enthusiasm and logistical friction are worth watching. Attendance atmosphere affects team performance — particularly for the host nations, who were supposed to feed off home support as a structural advantage.
The football, when it finally arrives
Across six weeks, the storylines are genuinely compelling. Lionel Messi, almost certainly in his final World Cup, looking to add to the 2022 title with Argentina. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41 years old and still chasing the one trophy that hasn't come. Brazil, without a World Cup in over 20 years, have handed Carlo Ancelotti the job of ending that drought. England, under Thomas Tuchel, are still trying to end 60 years of hurt.
The US, managed by Mauricio Pochettino and captained by Tim Ream, are the wild card as co-hosts with genuine knockout ambitions. "Why not us? Why can't we do it?" is reportedly Pochettino's message in the dressing room. The odds will tell you why not — but stranger things have happened on home soil.
The expanded 48-team format means only 16 teams are eliminated in the group stage, which will blunt some early-round urgency. The real chess begins in the knockouts, and the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium near New York is still a long way away. Extreme heat in cities like Dallas and Houston adds a physical layer that will test squads in ways preparation rarely accounts for.
FIFA lifted a planned ban on refillable water bottles in stadiums. That particular concession probably should not have needed announcing.
