FIFA World Cup: Five biggest controversies of the 2026 tournament
The 2026 World Cup has been full of controversies – Al Jazeera breaks down the five most significant. The 2026 World Cup has been mired
The 2026 World Cup has been full of controversies – Al Jazeera breaks down the five most significant. The 2026 World Cup has been mired in several controversies, from political interference to allegations of greed and spinelessness against FIFA as well as officiating disputes around the widely-loathed VAR. Al Jazeera breaks down the five biggest controversies of the 2026 football tournament so far. FIFA advises people to ‘chill and relax’ after Somalian referee denied entry to US Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was unable to take part in the World Cup after being denied entry to the United States, despite having a valid visa. The broader immigration policies of the US administration have been widely described as racist and discriminatory, with Washington imposing a sweeping travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia, and four teams that qualified for the World Cup: Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast. An official in the administration of US President Donald Trump said, without providing any evidence, that Artan was denied entry because of his links to “suspected members of terror organisations”. But Artan is a well-respected referee and was named Confederation of African Football’s men’s official of the year in 2025. FIFA was conspicuously silent in defending Artan, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino saying critics should “chill and relax”. At least Artan, who came home to a hero’s welcome, will be paid in full and will referee the UEFA Super Cup next season. Balogun reprieve brings integrity of the tournament into question Infantino was also forced to defend FIFA’s disciplinary process after its decision to suspend USA striker Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card ban following a direct intervention by Trump, fuelling accusations FIFA had bowed to political pressure.
Infantino said that FIFA’s judicial bodies had operated “independently and autonomously” and that he had told Trump the Balogun case was subject to an ongoing legal process, after the US president personally urged him to review the case. The affair drew condemnation from European football body UEFA, which said FIFA had “crossed a red line”. Criticism also came from the Royal Belgian Football Association, several national federations, senior football coaches, officials, and politicians. Many argued that FIFA had undermined confidence in its own disciplinary system. Belgium, who advanced to the quarterfinals with an emphatic 4-1 victory over the USA in the USA team’s last World Cup game, had challenged Balogun’s eligibility hours before kickoff. But FIFA rejected the appeal and the striker started the match before making little impact as the Americans exited the tournament with barely a whimper. “I think they [FIFA] made a really brilliant decision,” Trump told reporters at the Oval office. “I asked for a review. If they would not allow a top player to play I think it [the World Cup] would have had a big stain. I related that feeling.” Trump also questioned the quality of refereeing by Brazil’s Raphael Claus, who had sent Balogun off, saying he was “a little bit suspect if you check his past.” He did not elaborate. The Brazilian FA rejected any suggestion regarding the integrity of the referee, while FIFA again failed to fully back their official. VAR vexation There have been several rancorous decisions around the use of the much-maligned video assistant referee (VAR) system, perhaps most loudly after Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 World Cup round of 16 defeat by Argentina. Egypt appeared on course for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when they led defending champions Argentina 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining on Tuesday, only to concede three late goals and crash out.
The BriefWire