I read your post that I really liked and was thinking of an interesting opEDin Le Monde (the French FAZ)... which was in line with a piece I read in a swiss newspaper
I put these translate highlights
Overblown, commercialized and Trumpified, the 2026 World Cup has damaged the competition, and the culprits are thriving.
Overproduction and profits. The 48-team, 104-match World Cup (instead of 32 and 64) made FIFA rich, but less so the fans for whom this competition represents a treasure trove of memories and emotions. A victim of its own excess, it was also tarnished by the indecency of Gianni Infantino and his relationship with Donald Trump.
With Spain's victory – the best and most deserving team – it's fair to say that football won on the pitch. Off the pitch, however, football and the World Cup itself lost a great deal. Here's a summary in a few charts.
More Trumpian than geopolitical
Announced ad libitum as "the most geopolitical in history" , this World Cup was ultimately less so than Qatar 2022. The White House instrumentalized it moderately, certainly with the usual Trumpian crudeness, but it reflected the state of international relations less than that of the United States.
From the border incidents and visa refusals, particularly for Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan , and then the treatment of the Iranian team, it became clear that the brutalization of Washington's migration and international policies would not spare the World Cup.
Donald Trump distinguished himself primarily through his deplorable interference with Gianni Infantino to secure the lifting of the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun. The joint presentation of the trophy by the two men, followed by the billionaire's insertion into the photo, proved particularly embarrassing for them.
(...)
Beautiful stories and a small level
The 48-team World Cup produced some genuine fairytales, such as that of Cape Verde and their goalkeeper Josimar Vozinha , but Europe produced six of the eight quarter-finalists, and the semi-finals consisted entirely of former champions. Occasionally more unpredictable but still hierarchical, and of rather low quality, the 2026 edition reflected the current state of international football.
Disastrous advertising breaks
The misnamed three-minute cooling breaks, which divided matches into quarters, proved as disastrous for the quality of play as predicted. With UEFA announcing its refusal to make these breaks (sometimes whistled in stadiums) a regular occurrence, reserving them for days of extreme heat, let's hope FIFA's innovation doesn't catch on.
The Miraculous Minute
It wasn't enough to offset the increase in game interruptions, but the requirement for players needing medical attention to leave the field for one minute had the miraculous effect of a "Get up and walk" that proved particularly effective for many seriously injured players. This should absolutely be made permanent.
The fatal seconds
This can easily be seen as a symbol of an era where we struggle to experience things together: with the disparity in reception methods (digital terrestrial television, internet boxes, streaming), the goals didn't elicit cheers at the same time, with some people spoiling them for others. Both ridiculous and problematic.
Dystopian stadiums
We were familiar with them, these large American stadiums open to the sky like concrete bowls , with their vertiginously sloping upper tiers, their asymmetries, their super-giant screens. But, in real life, they make a strong impression and have contributed to the particular exoticism of this very American World Cup.
More recent—that is, enclosed and air-conditioned—those in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta seemed to have skipped several architectural generations while still promising a dystopian future. For the past and authenticity, one had to look to Mexico City's Azteca Stadium , where Pelé (1970) and Maradona (1986) lifted the trophy.
VIPs and upper-class individuals in the stands
Of course, there were the fervent contingents from the local diaspora and the foreign delegations of "real" fans. Of course, the phenomenon isn't new. But judging by the images, the exorbitant ticket prices have accentuated the gentrification of the stands and the touristification of sporting events.
On screen, we see several types of spectators, not always very convincing in their imitation of football fans: entire wealthy families; Americans who have chosen a favorite team and are decked out in its kit; influencers there to show off; more or less international celebrities. And a considerable number of babies, as if, decidedly, no one belonged there.
Infantino everywhere, decency nowhere
The most filmed of the VIPs was Gianni Infantino, a flatterer flattered despite the boos when he appeared on the giant screens.
The private jet provided by Qatar allowed him to make numerous appearances in the official stands, where former stars came to lend their support. Among them, on the French side, were Youri Djorkaeff, Christian Karembeu, and Arsène Wenger.
Hidden balloons
The televised production of matches continued its drift towards an inflation of extraneous shots, with directors less and less afraid to cut out phases of play – leaving it up to the viewer to imagine how the ball could have ended up in a completely different place on the field than where it was left.
The England-Norway incident illustrated the invasive nature of television: a ball cleared by the Scandinavian goalkeeper, deflected by one of the cables of the camera overlooking the field, fell back on England's Elliot Anderson just before Jude Bellingham's equalizer.
A touch of vulgarity
This World Cup has reached an unprecedented level of commercialization, bordering on the trivial. While in 2022 it was limited to official sponsors only, and devoid of annoying animations, advertising boards displayed dozens of different advertisers, with an aesthetic reminiscent of a shopping mall.
This Americanization also involved a very pompous decorum , particularly in the pre-game ceremonies, the count before kick-off (sponsored by Aramco), the music during breaks (from Whitney Houston to Guns N' Roses) and, finally, the mediocre half-time show of the final , which caused a 27-minute interruption.
Football, a secondary element of business
Advertising breaks, late kick-offs, a final half-time of almost half an hour, invasive advertising, television production not respecting the game… this edition will have demonstrated that football is treated as an accessory element of business, put at the service of interests other than its own.
Its power as a tool of soft power and sportswashing is undeniable, and it serves both as a platform for image-laundering sponsorships and for the self-aggrandizement of greedy and cynical leaders. All this with complete disregard for the environmental damage produced and promoted.
To put an end to this World Cup
The World Cup remains beautiful even when it's damaged, unfortunately: the matches take place, the competition unfolds, and it captivates nonetheless . None of FIFA's misdeeds, no deviations, no compromises seem to have yet diminished the allure of football and its major tournament.
Nothing jeopardizes the international federation's control of the beautiful game . Its president, Gianni Infantino, virtually assured of re-election next year, will even have free rein to implement his plan to expand to 64 teams.
The World Cup takes place every four years, but that doesn't seem to be enough to devise and implement ways to reclaim it from those who have monopolized it to satisfy their interests and egos. Yet, the need for such a move is more glaring than ever after these six weeks.
wrong, he or she is way off the mark.
I have seen some version of that stadium comment in various ways from Europeans (and even some North Americans), and I am just flabbergasted. It really is another way of saying outside of a precious few venues (e.g., Allianz, Tottenham, Bernabeu, a few others) in Europe, most are just old, decrepit (and small) shitholes. That comment just screams coping about the lack of capital investment in sports and entertainment venues on the continent. For that matter Azteca is a dump (or certainly was before the recent renovation), and that's the case even when the fans are throwing bags of piss on the field. The U.S. could have hosted the entire thing in old, iconic venues - the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, Ann Arbor, Soldier Field, Lambeau, etc., etc., etc. They chose not to because the fan experience is far superior in a place like Mercedes Benz, Lumen, Jerry World, SoFi, and so forth. If there was one consistent piece of feedback from European fans who actually came and attended games here, it was how impressed they were by the stadiums, especially Mercedes Benz, Lumen, and SoFi. Hell, ask any Notre Dame person who went to the national title game two years ago against OSU in Mercedes about that stadium - it is a genuinely great venue to be in.
The piece about commercialization and ads on the sideline - maybe I just didn't pick up on it, but I watch a fair good bit of EPL and Champions League, and it didn't seem all that different from what you typically see in those leagues.
European fans almost en masse seem to have taken great offense at the hydration breaks. I can see both sides of that argument, and even I was getting annoyed at them, especially in the later rounds. But playing in Miami or even Santa Clara in July is no fricking joke; of the scant few areas in Europe with similar, consistent heat (effectively, the Iberian Peninsula and the central and southern part of Italy) and humidity (almost nowhere in Europe has similar humidity to south Florida or even most of the Southeast U.S.), virtually none of the big leagues are playing meaningful games in the middle of the summer. It will be interesting to see what FIFA does in 2030 - Spain and especially Morocco have climates that could spell trouble for heat casualties. I always like to remind people that Atlanta, GA and Birmingham, AL are on the same latitude as Rabat and Casablanca in Morocco. Philadelphia is about on the same latitude as Madrid.
Similarly, it will be interesting to see what FIFA does for ticket pricing in 2030. Other posters covered it below, but that was definitely not a USSF decision. That was all FIFA. I suspect they will similarly try to maximize revenue as much as possible; the three main hosts, like the three this time around, are major destinations (unlike Qatar and Russia) where a lot of people want to visit. There was something of a hidden demand driver this time around that wasn't there for recent hosts and likely won't be for foreseeable hosts in that the U.S. has a population of 4+ million European ex pats and probably 10+ million Latin American ex pats, living in the U.S. on American salaries, willing to pay those kinds of prices to see their home country play in the World Cup.
Thanks for the share. I don't think my post was meant entirely to complain about FIFA, only to point out 2026 is an opportunity for them. It's just my guess that it will not be viewed as an opportunity, but sadly as entitled expectation going forward. Time will tell, but most of our experience with FIFA already indicates time has told.
bit of a whiff of European-looking-down-one's-nose at vulgar Americans. Is Trump vulgar? Yep. Are many Americans vulgar? Yep. Are there many things to admire about Europe and Europeans? Yep.
Since I myself am a vulgar American, these arrogant writers can feel free to take their arrogance and shove it right up their a**es. If they don't like our hospitality the way that it is presented they are most welcome to stay away.
Edit to add - you were very kind and helpful to me when my family was visitng Paris, providing recommendations for accomodations, things to do, et cetera. So this is not at all personal. But what I interpret as the attitude from the authors doesn't sit particularly well.
As this is not the political board I would only add it certainly hasn't helped how the World Cup has been perceived globally.
I became a citizen two decades ago and our daugther decided to go to ND and not to our french Ivy I feel something is off
in 30 years living in the US, I've never experienced anything quite like it, a contrast made even starker during our recent travels across Asia and Europe last month. I even had some very tough conversations with CEOs and friends in Korea China Germany UK that are pointing to me the FT opinion polls on US perception. I truly hope we can get back to some normality. On my end, I'm trying to play a proactive role, including creating among several US CEOs and Tech donoirs and fundting through our family trust to endow Lafayette Scholarships for US Master's students (rhodes scholars equivalent but spending a year in a French Ivy)
here is completely fine. You weren't advocatibg for them or anything, just passing them along. You are a great member of the board and we are better for your presence.
Edit to add that I agree with you that our current president and his group of misfits are harming how the US is viewed. We deserve it, as we elected him. I just looking forward to when he no longer is in office.
a cocaine rush provided by that cartel.
There were SO many fascinating features to this WC--CV's astounding run, Messi's swan song, Haaland's emergence, multiple colorful fan bases, Tuchel getting second-guessed for the rest of his life, Spain's consistent excellence. Except for the US-Belgium game, I enjoyed the WC itself in so many ways.
In order to enjoy it, one had to compartmentalize such external features as the ticket pricing, Our Soccer Fan in Chief being the World's Oldest Make a Wish Child, the unabashedly corrupt Infantino, and "an unprecedented level of commercialization, bordering on the trivial."
I loved it while it was happening, I was sorry to see it end, and I knew all along that it had many unappealing qualities. Le Figaro summed up those unappealing qualities well. FIFA being FIFA, the success of a 48 team WC will almost inevitably lead to a 64 team WC.
film crew is explicitly told never to show him on a broadcast when he's looking at his phone. Vanity of vanities, everything is vanity.
Regarding the Trump problems, it's fine to document them but he's a one-off and won't be around ever again with a World Cup.
The ticket price gouging should be higher up the list. The fact that my family lives in the US and yet nobody had a realistic shot at attending a World Cup game tells you all you need to know. I'm a free-market person and FIFA is charging what the market will bear, but geez. Some in the family have wondered about seeing a game in Spain or Portugal in four years but I assume the gouging will be even worse, never mind the hotel and airfare price gouging.
I think the article summarizes things well. We are stuck with Infantino and his 64-game proposal because all the numerous smaller countries that get money from FIFA will do whatever he says. Time to find a bullet to bite.
Our best hope as a family will be to see a Copa America game in 2028 (assuming it's in the US) or a Women's World Cup game in 2031 when it's being hosted in the US.
Before I even became a mad NFL and College Football fan, my first passion was the World Cup. Myself, family and friends have a long running group chat about all things World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico- the moment my home city became a host, it was all lined up to at last live a dream of ours.
Nobody attended a game- instead we joined many of the fanfests, official FIFA and otherwise. I was in fact so turned off about ticket prices I refused to cave in. The closest I came to it was the Spain vs Saudi Arabia match, but kept asking myself why would I pay $1000/ticket for a match I really couldn’t justify the expense on.
All the conversation has now turned to “bucket list” Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but deep down I know it’ll even be more cost prohibitive. I have zero regrets of missing out- I’ll only put my hard earned dollars where it makes sense.
See you November 7 at ND Stadium. It’ll feel like a drop in the bucket compared to Cape Verde vs South Africa, yet a weekend long party with some of the best people on earth.
Go Irish!
in Spain, Portugal and Morocco? It just isn't in the European DNA to charge this much for an event. Maybe I am being naive.
And, I am with you 100%. The fact that I did not even consider seeing Spain in this World Cup because I was just not going to shell out $2-$5K per ticket says a ton. Instead, I took my family to Italy for 10 days which was less expensive given I live in Chicago and would have had to travel for a game. It wasn't just the tickets. The hotels, AirBnB/VRBOs, transportation etc. was bananas.
There is no doubt in my mind this is going to 64 teams. Much like the college athletics NIL mess, FIFA can't resist a cash grab and getting China and India into the mix will be too mouth watering to ignore. I think it will further ruin what was once timeless but I feel the train has left the station and, even though fans hate him, Federations love Infantino because he keeps the pockets full. I bet he wins the next election easily.
It's not up to Spain, Portugal or Morrocco to set the prices.
FIFA will set the prices.
It has nothing to do with European DNA and everything to do with FIFA
near as expensive but that tournament is governed at the sole discretion of UEFA which operates as the slightly less corrupt pervert cousin of FIFA.
Out of the European fan base I had the opportunity to chat with, not only did they pay those prices, they obviously paid for travel, accommodations, food and drinks (lots of it) and transportation. They also didn’t just go to one venue, they followed their national teams as much as they could. Heck, I spoke to some who quit their jobs, sold their cars, maxed out multiple credit cards- even split with their spouses- for a chance to “follow their dreams”.
My point with this, if they could afford to fill the stadiums at a price point that a great segment of Americans bailed at, I don’t see any reason why FIFA wouldn’t keep up with the trend. Heck, this World Cup made my 2024 playoff run of South Bend, New Orleans, Miami and Atlanta look like a bargain compared to what this cost to some Euro and South American fans.
Not necessarily in the particulars of how FIFA did it, but the general idea of organizations pricing tickets to the events around the actual clearing price people are willing to pay is something I think is justifiable. That's the going rate of those tickets, and either special groups get the tickets and make some money scalping them (or paid off people under the table to get them), or FIFA/CFP/Super Bowl/Taylor Swift or whomever gets more of the money ultimately being paid for the tickets. The reality is rare live events command an enormous premium these days. I realize that's a very American approach to the issue, but hey, that's what I am.
I also have that view of the stadia. I think SoFi is just impressive, amazing really.