Ignore Infantino and focus on Messi, Yamal, Mbappe and the sheer joy of the Greatest Show on Earth
There is a general sense of deja vu as we approach the 2026 World Cup; the underlying excitement that comes with the nagging feeling that this spectacle is not what we grew up with and those happy memories are fading away.
FIFA’s unquenchable thirst for global influence means it is not just focused on football ahead of Thursday’s big launch when co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa at the Azteca.
Gianni Infantino’s meeting with Donald Trump was as informative as it was negative, showing once again the Swiss lawyer’s disregard for FIFA’s rulebook on neutrality, and his desire to play politician.
The result is the World Cup that Infantino longs for. The inflated version – the first to include 48 teams – played in three countries, three times in a region famous for extracting the last money from its ‘customers’, because that’s what we are now.
This is a World Cup big cheese that fans want to eat rather than enjoy. The average Joe is no longer a football fan, he is a client of FIFA and their marketing machine.
FIFA boss Infantino has a way of distracting from the World Cup
The Infantino-Trump romance reflects the FIFA chief’s willingness to align himself with other good, high-profile world leaders such as Russia’s warmonger Vladimir Putin and Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose human rights record is best described as mediocre.
Part of Infantino’s explanation for taking the game’s biggest event to these places is the chance to leave a legacy, to make football a great foundation. Since 2018, Russia has been waging war in Ukraine while Qatari promises to reform the rights of migrant workers, thousands of whom died building the infrastructure of the tournament, have not been fulfilled.
Clearly, there is no chance of FIFA leaving any kind of legacy in Trump’s USA.
Indeed, the White House has bigger issues to deal with at the moment, which is to get rid of Iran. Never before has a World Cup manager bombed a participant so close to the event itself. It should have brought questions from FIFA but it was swept under the carpet. Any kind of action would have been a huge embarrassment for Infantino, who three months ago had awarded Trump the world’s worst FIFA Peace Prize. You couldn’t fix it.
The problems with US hosting are not limited to its questionable foreign policy.
Fans overseas may be excited to meet Trump’s law enforcement agencies. The entertainment police will be out in large numbers with an area that looks a little like the carnival area of the previous World Cup games.
Add to the potential problems the sweltering heat that caused games to be suspended at last year’s Club World Cup – another of Infantino’s money-making masterpieces – questionable playing surfaces, large distances between games, exorbitant prices and travel costs raised by opportunistic cities and it looks set for a World Cup that will be hard to break.
The World Cup is always special and should be respected
However, it will bridge the negative gap because of the ball itself.
For all its faults, the World Cup remains special, especially if you can find it in yourself to ignore the commercialism you want and focus on what you value most.
There will be highlights, amazing goals and great stories from bringing together the best players from all four corners of the world. But it’s not just about Mbappes, Yamals, Ronaldo or Messis, there are also countries like Curacao, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan, all playing for the first time in the big league.
It’s about collecting TV with loved ones in Willemstad, Praia and Tashkent. It is about community pride and national pride, not nationalism.
It’s about creating an escape route for those who need it most. In Iran, Haiti and other places in the world.
If that sounds idealistic, romantic, or stupid, I’m not sorry. Because this is what football can bring. Just imagine the scenes in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, when they play Brazil. Will it solve the problems of its citizens? No, not really, but for two hours there is a distraction from everyday horrors.
And who knows, maybe Haiti can surprise and surprise the five-time winners. It seems unlikely but the prospect of Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia four years ago seemed exciting, as did the current holders who drew with Iceland in 2018.
Messi has planned a swansong for the World Cup
Lionel Messi played in both of those games and the 2026 World Cup will be his last appearance on the world stage. The Inter Miami star turns 39 later this month but who would bet against him leading Argentina to back-to-back victories?
Lionel Scaloni’s men will not find it easy, however. South American rivals, Brazil, look short this time, even under the careful guidance of father Carlo Ancelotti, but the European challenge led by France, Spain and Portugal is too big.
Spain look good bets to back up their European Championship triumph, France’s rich attacking resources will make them opponents and Portugal have a dream squad of Bruno Fernandes and Paris Saint-Germain metronomes Joao Neves and Vitinha. It would be a shame to say that Messi has nothing to say about his former partner Cristiano Ronaldo. Now 41, it remains to be seen whether the former Real Madrid star can continue to add something to Portugal or, as has been suspected, his overbearing presence is a hindrance to a team with so much talent.
What about England? Thomas Tuchel was brought in to provide the X-factor, helping the Three Lions find those intangibles that had previously eluded them. As was the case with Gareth Southgate, he will be judged when it comes to reductions: those crucial moments that separate defeat and victory have always fallen the wrong way.
The nation will hold its breath with each game, rare moments of unity amid social divisions.
We have to stick to that. Ignore the inevitable hot air from FIFA and Trump, the in-your-face declarations from Infantino and stick to what really matters, the beauty and purity of the World Cup.
It remains the biggest show in the world.
