Sport

Has the spirit of the World Cup been lost this year?

It feels strange to say it now, but awarding the 2026 World Cup to the United States, Canada and Mexico was seen as a break from the geopolitical controversies that have engulfed football’s greatest tournament for the best part of two decades.

By the time kick off arrived last week, though, there were as many issues with this iteration as there were in Russia and Qatar. That is not to downplay the discourse around either of the previous two, but the US in particular prides itself on freedom, fairness and democracy.

With high profile people denied entry to the country, including Africa’s top referee, that spirit has been far from clear. The war with Iran, a country competing at the tournament who are at a considerable disadvantage, given all their games are based in the US but they are banned from staying there, is another huge dark shadow being cast.

Even ignoring the politics, there are so many other problems keeping World Cup fever at arm’s length. Football generally, but this competition in particular, are about the stories behind it as much as the action itself; fans travelling from across the world to support their nations and mix in a way that restores faith in humanity.

But even if visas aren’t an issue, cost is extremely prohibitive. Tickets cost as much as $1000, and travel and accommodation is no easier to acquire.

Any suggestion that money grabbing isn’t at the heart of everything is also compromised considerably by the cynical use of mandatory “hydration breaks”. On the surface, a positive move for player welfare, but the opportunity has been snatched by TV companies for advertising, and the game now feels closer to four quarters rather than two halves, fundamentally shifting the way it is played.

All of these things have been hard to ignore. Perhaps this World Cup is suffering from being enlarged, too. Not only are the venues spread across the equivalent of a continent, diluting that sense of continuity, but the increasing from 32 teams to 48 has had a mixed impact.

On the one hand, it has increased the opportunities for access. Nations like Curacao, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde are making their debuts, and although the former opened by conceding seven to the might of Germany, their first ever World Cup goal was a moment to treasure.

Haiti’s presence, despite not playing any qualifiers in their own country with a manager who has never been there due to safety concerns, is a feel-good story, too.

But again, the quality feels diluted and sport oversaturated. The likes of England, France, Spain and Germany have all exited the tournament at the group stage since the turn of the century, but it feels almost impossible now, with so many third placed teams able to progress.

Like the Champions League, expanding the format, ironically claimed to help increase drama and jeopardy, has killed it.

The World Cup is still the pinnacle of sport, but this one is taking time to warm up. The non-Europe friendly kick off times are an issue, too, but given how the calendar usually centres around this part of the world, it is churlish to complain.

Perhaps it will get better, but so far it has been hard for the World Cup to avoid the negativity that preceded it.