In the first week of every World Cup, the noise building up to it, complete with logistical anxieties, diplomatic rows, and even ticket scandals, start giving way to the very tournament. The ball starts to roll, someone scores a goal, and for ninety minutes, the world is, at least in rhetoric, standing united.

This year’s World Cup is actually the largest ever. 48 teams, 1248 players, and 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which means a lot of miles to cover between venues. It has also turned out to be quite revealing, not about the game itself, but about everything that administers it — what FIFA has become, how American hospitality is defined.

ICE in the Room

A murky pot of concerns awaited the World Cup before its kick-off. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed in May that ICE agents would be stationed at World Cup stadiums. He cited security as the reason and denied any connection to immigration enforcement. Many immigrants’ rights organisations issued travel warnings stating that fans, players, journalists, and other visitors could face serious rights violations in the wake of such stationing. Workers at SoFi stadium (now rebranded as the Los Angeles Stadium) voted to strike over the deployment threat. 

All of this pointed to one question — who exactly was welcome at the World Cup? And no team wore this uncertainty more visibly than Iran. Since February, the United States and Israel have been at war with Iran, one that killed civilians and its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. It is a miracle that the team managed to even travel to Los Angeles and play on American soil.

The obstacles were many. The US revoked Iran’s allocation of tickets for all three group matches. These are tickets that each federation is allowed — or rather, entitled — to distribute among its own supporters, as per the FIFA rules. The staff was met with visa denials and the team was even asked not to remain in the US beyond the days scheduled for their matches. The rigorous schedule thus imposed on Iran is bizarre, to say the least. This conditional participation did put an end to the long months spent in doubt about whether Iran could even play at the World Cup this year, despite qualifying for it. Donald Trump’s messaging, time and again, made matters worse — he went to the extent of calling Iran’s participation ‘inappropriate’. The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, on the other hand was pressing for their participation. At one point, he even insisted that he’d be personally driving a bus to Tehran if that was necessary to guarantee Iran’s presence at the World Cup. 

After Iran’s first match against New Zealand (which ended in a 2-2 draw), Infantino made his way to the Iranian locker room and was quick to deliver one of his standard, half-emotive monologues. Addressing the players, he said, “I know what you’re going through, I understand, but you’re stronger than everything. You send a strong message to the entire world.” For all questions about the unfair treatment accorded to the team, Infantino had plenty of deflections handy, like “you are writing history.” This is the same man who proudly remarked in 2022, “Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker,” when asked about the state of human rights in Qatar. He is also the one who awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize last December. But that’s enough on Infantino for now.

The Hydration (/Commercial) Break

The 2026 World Cup is set to become the most profitable in FIFA's history. Fox alone is slated to make more than $250 million on ads. Overall sponsorship could tally at $2.8 billion for FIFA.

The most conspicuous expression of these figures came in the form of FIFA's new mandated hydration breaks. These are 3-minute long mid-way pauses in both halves of the 90-minute play. They are intended to make sure that players are able to endure the North American heat better. The idea isn't bad. In fact, it can offer relief from heat stress. But, what use does it serve when the pauses are mandated for every single match, even those held in venues and during hours that are comfortable temperature-wise. From a perspective of restructuring for better results, these breaks could give coaches the chance to provide tactical inputs. However, the same pauses end up fragmenting games into four quarters, and therefore can lead to loss in momentum. For a game that is defined by its relentless flow, this can be debilitating. The breaks have been criticized by players and coaches alike. Netherlands' captain, Virgil van Dijk, calling these "interesting", said that every time the broadcast went into a commercial, the experience of watching the game became less likeable. He added that, in his opinion, it'd be better to include hydration breaks only when the temperature demand these, and not as a blanket perk.

Fox, USA's English-language rights holder, was also accused of running its commercials late during the second half's hydration break in the inaugural Mexico vs South Africa match. The viewers returned to a game that was already in motion. FIFA rules require broadcasters to be back on air thirty seconds before the referee signals to resume play. Fox failed on that account on the very first day.

The Joy That Cannot Be Administered

Germany defeated Curaçao (7-1) in their Houston opener, echoing the German destruction of Brazil in 2014's semi-final in Belo Horizonte. But Curaçao is no Brazil. This is an island nation we're talking about, with a population of roughly 156,000. Yet, they finished atop their CONCACAF qualifying group on the way to this World Cup, with their coach, the 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, becoming the oldest to manage a World Cup team. Curaçao briefly equalised Germany, the four-time World Cup winner, and this was enough to rejoice for the country's supporters. The players too weren't disheartened by the loss because they'd put the ball past Manuel Neuer once, and still have two more games to chart their course.

Something similar could be said of Cabo Verde's 0-0 draw against Spain in their first ever World Cup match. Spain tried to score 27 times, but Cabo Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha seemed set on blocking every attempt. His mother was not in the stadium to watch him play. She was denied a visa, the fee for which has now been waived, making it possible for her to travel to the US in time for Cabo Verde's next game.

This archipelago, off the coast of West Africa, was, for most of its independent history, hardly ever spotlit. But it has now emerged as one of the underdogs to watch out for this year, and also is one of the many reasons that justify the 48-team expansion.

Towards the Trophy

All 48 teams have now played one game each. While we are a month away from the final match, reports emerged this week that FIFA may have given Donald Trump a free-hand at joining the World Cup winners on stage at the MetLife Stadium on July 19, and even lift the trophy with them. If true, this could mean a repeat of his appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup final last year. Better keep a steady eye on the medals, lest one ends up at the White House later, to be put on display the next time Trump declares, "let the oil flow!"