10 Biggest Controversies That Rocked The FIFA World Cup 2026

Published 13 July 2026 · sports

10 Biggest Controversies That Rocked The FIFA World Cup 2026 Published By, Last Updated: July 13, 2026, 16:29 IST Here are the top major controversies

10 Biggest Controversies That Rocked The FIFA World Cup 2026 Published By, Last Updated: July 13, 2026, 16:29 IST Here are the top major controversies from the biggest ever FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and USA. The Egypt-Argentina clash ended concluded in a controversial fashion. (AFP Photo) What’s a world cup without controversy? The ongoing FIFA World Cup, the largest in history, has given countless memories, memes and iconic moments. Long before the kick-off, the marquee event had already started creating buzz thanks to FIFA’s decision to expand the number of participants from 32 to 48 with cynics wondering whether it will dilute the overall competitiveness of the tournament. However, teams like Cape Verde, Norway among others allayed those fears giving historic performances. There was a lot of good alright but not without its share of some unpleasantness. Here we take a look at the 10 major controversies from the 2026 edition USA, the world cup co-host, at war with participating nation Iran USA and Iran are at war. It created a strange scenario. The competition is being co-hosted by USA and Iran were scheduled to play their group matches in USA. No surprises for guessing Iran’s participation was overshadowed by numerous issues including visa restrictions, team basing its training camp in Mexico despite playing matches in USA, the strict travel instructions requiring the team to fly in and out of USA short time windows. Irked by the hurdles, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team as the “most oppressed team in the whole World Cup." Sporting equipment theft England’s World Cup preparations suffered a minor disruption which, though, raised serious security concerns as valuable team equipment got stolen right before the tournament.

Boots, shirts and other items reportedly worth thousands of dollars were taken before the squad’s first training session, forcing officials to deal with an unexpected logistical problem. Later, at England’s Kansas City base, another breach saw an intruder entering the media centre carrying a wrench. Somalian referee denied entry Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan may have been eagerly awaiting a chance of a lifetime to officiate at a FIFA World Cup. However, his dream was crushed after being denied entry into the United States despite being selected by FIFA as a match official. Artan, who was set to become the first Somali referee at a World Cup, was stopped after arriving at Miami International Airport. The decision, it was widely reported, was taken due to the USA’s strict vetting processes. Almiron’s historic red card Miguel Almiron’s dismissal became one of the most eye-catching disciplinary moments of the tournament after the Paraguay forward received a red card for speaking after covering his mouth. It was part of FIFA’s new mouth-covering rule. The incident happened during Paraguay’s 1-0 victory over Turkey with the referee producing a straight red card after a VAR review. The hydration breaks With player welfare in mind, FIFA introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half of every match, regardless of weather conditions, describing the measure as a protection for players’ health. It was done to counter North America’s summer conditions. The decision though, invited criticism from fans and some coaches, who questioned whether the stoppages disrupted match rhythm and whether commercial interests were involved. FIFA president Gianni Infantino rejected claims that the breaks were financially motivated. Fans could regularly be heard showing their displeasure with loud booing whenever a referee blew the whistle for the hydration break.