Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The 2026 World Cup it has been beset by a number of controversies, from political meddling to accusations of FIFA’s greed and incompetence and sparking controversy surrounding the much-maligned VAR.
Al Jazeera breaks down the five biggest controversies in the 2026 football tournament so far.
Recommended Articles
list of 4 itemsend of series
FIFA advises people to ‘chill out and relax’ after Somali referee denies US entry
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was unable to participate in the World Cup after being denied entry into the United States, despite having a valid visa.
The broader US immigration policy has been described as racist and discriminatory, with Washington imposing a travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia, and four teams that participated in the World Cup: Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast.
US President Donald Trump’s chief of staff said, without providing any evidence, that Artan was denied entry because of his contacts with “people suspected of belonging to terrorist organizations”.
But Artan is a respected referee and he was chosen as the Confederation of African Football’s manager of the year in 2025. FIFA has remained silent in defense of Artan, and the President of FIFA. Gianni Infantino saying that critics should “chill and relax”.
At least Artan, who came home to a you are a hero’s welcomewill be paid in full and will be a UEFA Super Cup player next season.
Balogun’s revenge brings the integrity of the competition
Infantino was also forced to defend FIFA’s decision to suspend the red card ban for American player Folarin Balogun at the World Cup following Trump’s direct intervention, sparking accusations that FIFA used political pressure.
Infantino said FIFA’s judiciary worked “independently and independently” and that he told Trump that Balogun’s case should be based on the law, after the US president urged him to review the case.
The news drew criticism from European football’s governing body UEFA, which said FIFA had “crossed a red line”. Opposition also came from the Royal Belgian Football Association, several international associations, major football coaches, officials, and politicians. Many said that FIFA had undermined confidence in its disciplinary process.
Belgium, who advanced to the quarterfinals with an emphatic 4-1 victory over the United States in the last World Cup match in the United States, contested Balogun’s eligibility hours before kick-off. But FIFA rejected the appeal and the player kicked off the game before taking action as the Americans exited the tournament unscathed.
“I think (FIFA) made a smart decision,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I asked them to review. If they don’t let a top player play I think (the World Cup) would have a big stain.
Mr Trump also questioned the quality of refereeing by Brazil’s Raphael Claus, who sent off Balogun, saying he was “a bit questionable if you look at the past.” He did not elaborate. The Brazilian FA has denied any suggestion of the referee’s integrity, while FIFA has also failed to confirm its official.
VAR confusion
There have been a number of controversial decisions regarding the use of the so-called VAR system, perhaps most loudly after Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 World Cup last 16 draw. losing to Argentina.
Egypt appeared on course for one of the tournament’s biggest upsets when they led defending champions Argentina 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining on Tuesday, only to score three late goals to lose.
A lot of to argue faced the goal of Mostafa Zico of Egypt in the 62nd minute which would have doubled his team’s lead. The goal was disallowed after a VAR review showed that the Egyptian player had committed a foul in the build-up.
Coach Hossam Hassan and captain Mohamed Salah expressed their disappointment after the game, while several former players and media pundits also questioned the manager.
“Obviously, it’s not within the scope of VAR to review that,” former England international Rob Green said on Fox TV during the game, referring to the foul that led to Zico’s goal being ruled out. “It’s the whole length of the pitch.”
VAR was also a major problem in Argentina’s 3-1 quarter-final win over Switzerland.
Swiss striker Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, five minutes later team-mate Dan Ndoye blocked Alexis Mac Allister’s early opener and Switzerland looked to be threatening.
The referee booked Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes for a lengthy VAR review that Embolo had done nothing wrong.
“There was no reason to give a yellow card,” said Swiss coach Murat Yakin. “It was harmless. He should have stopped playing.”
Very high ticket prices
Earlier this week, it was revealed that FIFA has about 1,200 tickets worth $7,380 sold for the World Cup final on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in the US.
FIFA has faced widespread criticism the price of World Cup tickets In various pre-competitive auctions, one group is suing the court for “excessive pricing”.
In April, FIFA had four tickets on its auction block at a price of $2m each; Infantino laughed about it, but no he defended and trees and eyesinsists that the world governing body should take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above their face value.
That’s FIFA is facing a subpoena from the US in New York and New Jersey as part of an investigation into ticket prices and seating accuracy by the National Committee.
‘Hydration’ commercial breaks
FIFA’s decision to introduce half-time in all matches at the World Cup, regardless of temperature, has also sparked controversy.
When FIFA unveiled the rule in December, it said players would “benefit from a three-minute break during each match as FIFA prioritizes the health of the players” due to the heat.
Players, coaches, fans and pundits have criticized the move for disrupting matches and effectively dividing the game into four halves instead of two – especially as most games were not played in the heat.
“New York, California and Miami, as well as the stadiums in Mexico, have been hot enough, but there is no need to rest on air-conditioned stadiums like Dallas, Houston, Atlanta or Vancouver,” meteorologist Everton Fox said. Al Jazeera.
“I know FIFA says they’ve done this for every game so it doesn’t change,” Fox said. “But it’s hard to see it as anything other than a multimillion-dollar, if not billions, US television advertising business around the world.”
