Why the World Cup will be a massive hit, despite all the awful things wrong with it
Friday, 12 June 2026
What: Fifa World Cup Group A, Mexico v South Africa. Where: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City. When: 7am Friday, TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+
Ian Anderson is a senior sports writer for The Post
OPINION: There are a stadium-full of reasons not to watch the 2026 World Cup which kicks off on Friday (NZT).
You would be fully justified in hoping that anything that can possibly go wrong in the United States - co-hosting with Mexico and Canada - does so.
That’s chiefly because Fifa, and its head honcho Gianni Infantino, has cosied up to the US President.
The World Cup has previous - in 1934, Italy hosted the second edition of the event as a promotional exercise for Benito Mussolini’s fascism, while in 1978, the tournament was a propaganda tool for Argentina’s ruling military junta. Note: both home teams won the tournament.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that worldwide attention in our modern media environment would have led to a ‘down with that sort of thing’ protest this century, but instead Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup while warring against Ukraine, and four years later, immigrant workers’ rights mattered not a jot as Qatar held the event.
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The news on the eve of the opening game - Mexico against South Africa - that referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia was denied admission to the US due to “association with suspected members of terror organisations” merely reinforced the ongoing sham.
Artan told the New York Times on Tuesday that he “had the right papers” and “the right visa” before travelling to the United States, but border officials interviewed him at Miami International Airport during a process of over 11 hours, before being detained in a holding cell and then sent back to Istanbul, Turkey, where he began his journey.
If only Fifa had spied this possibility when President Trump commented previously about Somalis, saying they should “go back to where they came from” and “their country is no good for a reason”.
Infantino has attempted to brush this aside - “chill, relax”. Why? Because he knows when the action on the field begins, the off-field brouhahas will fade into the background, obscured by the brilliance of the exponents of the world’s most popular sport.
Is that fair? Of course not, but it’s the bleak reality.
So, pushing injustices aside, what should we expect from the unwelcomingly lengthy tournament, bloated like a week-dead fish by Fifa’s cash-driven decision to expand to 48 teams, while 32 will still make the playoffs?
Despite exorbitant, extortionist ticket prices, crowds will still flock to games.
But entertainment may be reduced at venues where games will be played in sapping heat and humidity. Teams which operate best with a frenetic high-press may struggle, and with eight of the third-best placed teams from the 12 group of four qualifying for sudden-death, an overabundance of caution looks likely.
But once the playoffs are underway, we could witness a string of fantastic matches. In 2026, there are more genuinely top-quality sides than at previous tournaments, with teams throughout Europe featuring talent from far-flung countries, and upsets may be prevalent.
Spain are the sage pick to win the tournament for just the second time. The Euro 2024 champions have ability in depth from goalkeeper to striker, and play a possession-based game which can run even other elite title-contenders into the ground under a baking sun.
France and Argentina, who fought out the 2022 final with Lionel Messi and team-mates triumphing, are both capable of reaching the same stage. There are legitimate questions over the chances of England and Brazil, with Portugal having greater appeal.
Among the lesser lights, Senegal, Morocco and the Ivory Coast could bring glory to Africa, the host nations should perform above expectations and may all reach the last 16, while our trans-Tasman neighbours Australia may relish going under the radar.
The All Whites will aim to make New Zealand sporting history by making the playoffs for the first time in three World Cup appearances.
Coach Darren Bazeley has a squad with players who feature in the top divisions in England, Scotland, France, The Netherlands, Poland and Denmark.
But unless they can score an upset result against Egypt and Belgium, everything rests on the need for a win over Iran in their opening encounter in Los Angeles on Tuesday (1pm NZ time).
Their first-up opponents represent a nation which the US began a war against earlier this year. They have been denied a base in the US, and may fly in and out to games from Mexico, while many staff and officials have claimed they were denied visas and fans have had tickets revoked.
Is that fair? Never. So horribly unjust that New Zealand and other nations should boycott the tournament? Yes. Yet somewhere in a five-star hotel in the US, the head of football’s governing body chuckles heartily as the games commence.