Miami is raising hopes that this could turn into a long, happy summer of football, when 48 national teams will compete for five weeks on World Cup in football to play 104 games in the USA, Canada and Mexico, writes the German "Spiegel".
Summer and World Cup – that means a few weeks of much-needed relief for football fans around the world. Almost nothing, sociologists say, guarantees an escape from a harsh rut as reliably as a national team match: at least 90 minutes without Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, worries about the recession, the oil crisis, loans, bills, school fees... Every World Cup has the potential to turn into a "summer fairy tale" that will distract from the madness in the world.
But this will not be a normal World Cup, writes "Spiegel".
Photo: AP Photo/Charlie RiedeKansas City Stadium
It is precisely in these chaotic times that it takes place in the USA, in the very epicenter of the earthquake that shakes the world every day. In a country whose president, Donald Trump, is trying by all means to overthrow the existing global order. In a country so internally divided that some already see civil war on the horizon. Or they even recognize the outlines of a dictatorship, writes "Spiegel".
There are many indications that this FIFA World Cup will be Trump's tournament. There is a fear that he will not be able to resist the temptation to appropriate the World Cup and use it as a stage for his own promotion.
FIFA has left itself at the mercy of the American president. In New York's Trump Tower (Trump Tower) opened a new representative office, just a few floors below the president's private apartment.
Torn togetherness of three hosts
And there are partner countries: Mexico, which Trump likes to insult by calling it a "banana republic ruled by drug cartels." Canada, which he wants to turn into the 51st US state.
These three countries originally appeared together as hosts of the World Cup. Instead of togetherness, conflicts are now pre-programmed.
In front of the stadium in the USA, in addition, ICE, the notorious operative unit of the Department of Homeland Security that brutally arrests allegedly illegal migrants, primarily from Latin American countries, could be patrolling. For many fans, going to the USA could seem extremely risky.
And it's certainly expensive: tickets even for underdog games can quickly reach over $1.000.
Photo: AP Photo/Moises CastilloThe joy and happiness of the World Cup
When it comes to unity, this World Cup was originally designed in exactly that spirit: it was planned as the North American Games - the entire continent "united as one", as the official motto of the joint bid of the USA, Canada and Mexico read.
The economies of these three countries have long been tightly intertwined. Their heads of state and government signed the NAFTA agreement in 1992, which abolished trade barriers. However, that agreement caused sharp reactions and resentment in the United States. This political turmoil culminated in the election of Donald Trump as president, who called the NAFTA agreement "the worst trade agreement" in the world and replaced it.
Now the World Cup does not represent a united region, but a continent that is falling apart politically and economically. It represents the breakdown of the world order that Trump's policy has been leading to for years. "America First" (America First) also applies to this World Cup. Partner countries are no longer mentioned in comments from the White House.
Can a football and celebratory mood emerge in such an atmosphere? Or will the World Cup summer become a test of endurance for a deeply divided continent and a PR disaster for the American president, "Spiegel" asks.
When are the FIFA World Cup matches being played and where can you watch them?
Can football unite a divided world
The United Nations plenum in New York remembered better days. The seats for the delegates are partly worn, and the carpets are worn. Gianni Infantino, however, does not mind it at all. He celebrated World Football Day on May 25.
Infantino, head of FIFA since 2016, stands beaming behind the marble lectern under the golden emblem of the UN and speaks like a statesman, writes "Spiegel". "Our world is going through hard times," he exclaims. "And in difficult times, sometimes we need a reason to bring people together."
Infantino loves symbolism: When the 56-year-old football official arrived at the UN headquarters on the East River, he pulled on a referee's jersey over a white shirt, saying: "Because I was overwhelmed with joy."
Infantino has been cruising North America for weeks to promote the World Cup with the same slogan: "Football unites the world."
However, this is in complete contrast to the political situation.
"Since our bid for the 2017 World Cup, democracy in the U.S. has taken a serious hit," says Jules Boykoff, one of the most prominent sports critics in the U.S. and a political science professor at Oregon Pacific University. "These are scary times for a World Cup. Actually the whole world should be invited, but America doesn't seem like a welcoming place right now."
FIFA doesn't see it that way - of course not. Infantino has been firmly attached to Trump even before.
"They are a perfect couple," says Boykoff. "Both love the spectacle. Both love the company of rich people. Both are willing to twist the truth to their advantage." Infantino counters that his closeness with Trump is "absolutely crucial" to the success of the World Cup.
Infantino attended Trump's second inauguration, flew with him to the Gaza summit and is a regular guest in the Oval Office. During the draw of the groups in Washington last December, he presented Trump with the FIFA "Peace Award", created especially for the occasion.
Sports washing
Last July, FIFA opened a new representative office in Trump Tower in New York. Apparently, these rooms are hardly used until now. In case of doubt, Infantino resolves open issues directly with the US president. Or at least with his World Cup confidante Andrew Giuliani.
Giuliani is a former professional golfer, but above all he is the son of former Trump lawyer and former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani. He heads the White House World Cup task force.
He has no idea about football; they had to explain to him that the games are called in English Played, and no games like in American football.
As usual in the Trump administration, competence is of secondary importance for leading personnel, writes "Spiegel".
The American president loves a good show, and now he desperately needs one. His popularity has fallen to an all-time low. And as was the case with previous tournaments, football could help to enhance the host's image. This strategy is called "sportswashing" (washing of the biography through sports).
"Political leaders use sportswashing to divert attention from social problems and human rights violations, to appear legitimate and create opportunities for political and financial gain," says political science professor Jules Boykoff. "It happened in 2018 in Russia and in 2022 in Qatar, and now it's happening in the US. Trump is using sports to his political advantage more than any US president before him."
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sport could play a secondary role. In sociology, this is called "basking in someone else's glory", that is, enjoying borrowed glory, sports philosopher Robert Gugutzer, professor of social sciences of sports at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, told "Spiegel". This has always reflected the attraction for politicians to instrumentalize sports.
For ordinary people, on the other hand, sport has a different meaning, says Gugucer: it serves as an emotional valve and a possibility for identification. Major football competitions are among the rare events that a country still experiences as a shared experience.
Canada as the exact opposite of the United States
"Canada will open its doors to the world," announced Prime Minister Mark Carney. "This is our moment to show the world all that Canada has to offer." And what always comes across in similar statements by the Canadian Prime Minister is that Canada is completely different from the USA - a kinder, more serious variant of the neighboring country.
Just like Carney himself is a kind of "anti-Trump". The former governor of the central bank is sober, quiet, measured. The relationship between him and Trump is bad, just like the relationship between their countries, writes "Spiegel".
Photo: Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press via APCanada: Soccer World Cup promotion in Victoria
The traditionally close relations between the two neighboring states and their leaders have not been damaged to this extent for centuries. Trump threatened to swallow up Canada. He introduced new tariffs on goods imported from his northern neighbor, whose economy is extremely dependent on exports to the US. Trump himself shows his disdain for Carney from time to time, for example when he calls him "governor", as if Canada is already the 51st state of the United States of America.
In a representative survey by the Environics Institute from the fall of 2025, only 36 percent of Canadians marked the US as a friend; In 2013, that percentage was 89 percent.
Accordingly, all the joint concepts of the two countries for the World Cup exist only on paper. The Canadian government is intent on presenting the country as a kind of "counter" to the United States.
It starts from entering the country: Canada does not deny entry to anyone based on nationality, while the Trump administration practically does not let in fans from Haiti and Iran, and those from other nations, such as Senegal or the Ivory Coast, are only allowed under special conditions.
For a total of 13 games in Toronto and Vancouver, fans should come mostly by public transportation, at the regular ticket price of $3,35. Both cities are planning daily fan festivals throughout the championship, which will mostly be free.
During the World Cup, further political conflict between Carney and Trump can be expected. By July 1, the governments of Canada, the US and Mexico must decide whether to extend their joint North American trade agreement, the USMCA, which currently covers nearly US$2.000 trillion in cross-border trade annually. Trump's envoys are demanding a series of new concessions from Canada. Among other things, Canadians should open their market to the dairy products of American farmers more than before.
Will Trump invade Mexico?
Mexico's left-wing president, Claudia Scheinbaum, has so far been considered one of the few heads of state who know how to deal with the difficult temper of her powerful counterpart in the US. Trump compliments Claudia Scheinbaum in public: she is "a very elegant woman", he announced on the X platform.
However, those supposedly good-neighborly relations are increasingly showing serious cracks, which the World Cup does not lessen in the least.
Photo: AP Photo/Moises CastilloWorld Cup celebration in Mexico
Trump has stepped up pressure on Mexico in recent weeks. On several occasions, he openly threatened military intervention against the drug cartels that control large parts of the neighboring country. Mexico is ruled by criminal organizations, he said recently, adding that Scheinbaum is afraid of drug lords.
"Will the winner of the FIFA Peace Prize carry out a drone attack on his World Cup co-host?" asked James Bosworth, a political analyst and security expert specializing in Latin America, recently.
Recently, the US government requested the extradition of the governor of Sinaloa and a number of senior government officials of the Mexican federal state where the cartel of the same name is based. That politician belongs to the ruling Morena party, of which Scheinbaum is also a member.
The Mexican metropolis of Guadalajara, one of the three Mexican cities where the World Cup matches are played, is located in the middle of the territory controlled by the most powerful criminal organization in the country - the Jalisco cartel. The stadium and other venues during the World Cup will be secured by the army.
Photo: AP Photo/Marco UgarteAkron Stadium in Guadalupe
At the same time, the Mexican president will not attend any of the matches, as she herself announced. He won't even be at the June 11 opener at Mexico City's famed Azteca Stadium, where Mexico plays South Africa.
Only a small number of people have the opportunity to watch the ceremony at the stadium, Sheinbaum explained her decision. She will follow the ceremonial opening "together with the people" at the Zocal, the central square in the historic center of the capital.
Perhaps the president of Mexico will end up using the World Cup better for her own purposes than Donald Trump.
Source: Der Spiegel
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