A Cup Overflowing With Hate and Greed

The World Cup opened today with an estimated 5 million international visitors descending upon Mexico for the kickoff of the 39-day international sports event.  The United States’ neighbor to the south is struggling with its own social issues as protesters take to the streets to shine a light on their government’s shortcomings.   But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s welcoming of foreign fans and other cultures stands in contrast to the way the U.S. is approaching upcoming games. 

While the World Cup presents a message of international unity through the love of fútbol, the Trump administration’s changes to immigration policy and isolationist posturing send a starkly different message.  Numerous reports of human rights abuses and alleged racial profiling at the hands of federal agents have surfaced over the past 17 months. The Trump administration doubled down on its anti-immigrant agenda by slamming the door on immigrants seeking refuge—unless they happen to be white South Africans.  The number of visas doled out was drastically cut, while nonwhite refugees were turned away from the U.S.

And now Trump’s racist rhetoric is being reflected on the world stage.  Amid his ongoing war on Iran, the White House barred Iranian soccer players from practicing and preparing for their upcoming games in the United States. Instead, the team had to land in the Mexican border city of Tijuana to wait out their match in Los Angeles. And while the players will be permitted to enter the U.S. a day before they take to the green, members of their support staff were turned away.  Criticism ratcheted up after a Somali referee was denied entry upon landing in the U.S.   To make the situation extra tense, the U.S. has reportedly flouted FIFA regulations that require 8% of tickets to be allocated to visiting countries so they can sell seats to their supporters. Iran’s ticket allocation was revoked by the U.S., leaving fans high and dry.

“I view the 2026 World Cup as a massive paradox,” professor Jules Boykoff, author of “Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing and the FIFA Greed Machine,” told NPR.  “On one hand, it has more teams than ever participating,” Boykoff said. “On the other hand, because of the policies of the Trump administration, it looks more like a World Cup of exclusion than inclusion.”