FIFA’s biggest World Cup yet ends with politics and profit in spotlight | FIFA World Cup 2026

It’s hard to argue the World Cup hasn’t been a success — even after United States (US) President Donald Trump’s unprecedented intervention put the tournament’s integrity in jeopardy.  

With Spain claiming its second World Cup title on Sunday, beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time, the most lucrative sporting event ever has overcome every hurdle thrown its way. Fifa increased its four-year revenue expectations by about $2 billion on top of earlier World Cup estimates of about $9 billion.

  More than 15 million people filled stadiums and fan festival areas combined during the length of the tournament, the biggest World Cup by attendance, and that’s despite record high ticket prices. Visiting fans and teams heaped praise on their American hosts, a welcome change to increasingly souring opinion toward the country. But Fifa’s obsession with money and power over all else undoubtedly tainted what was otherwise a festive tournament: led by Trump’s intervention on behalf of a suspended American star.

Balogun incident

On Sunday, Spanish midfielder and captain Rodri was handed the World Cup trophy by Fifa boss Gianni Infantino and Trump. The pair were whistled and booed at the game, condemnation amplified by one event in particular.

  During the knockout rounds, Trump had called Infantino and asked if Folarin Balogun, who faced a one-match ban following a red card in a game, could be reinstated for the US in the Round of 16 match against Belgium. Fifa’s disciplinary committee soon suspended that ban for a year, an unprecedented decision. 

  Infantino’s insistence of the committee’s independence was immediately dismissed by fans, who pointed to the Fifa chief’s relentless efforts to ingratiate himself with Trump, including a Fifa Peace Prize that was hastily created and awarded to him last year. Critics saw the series of events as the latest example of deep-rooted corruption in Fifa. 

  The shocking reprieve couldn’t save the US, however, as the it lost 4-1 — an outcome that kept the scandal from completely overshadowing the tournament.  

  This was not the only political incident that raised eyebrows during the games, however: Lionel Messi and other Argentinian players celebrated a semifinal victory over England with a fan’s banner supporting the country’s claim over the Falkland Islands, prompting the UK government to call for a Fifa investigation. 

  Egypt’s coach was seen raising and waving Palestine’s flag following a Round of 32 win over Australia, and the Iranian team complained bitterly as it had to fly in and out of the US every matchday from its base camp in Mexico due to American sanctions. 

More money, more problems

Fifa faces plenty of questions about the future despite the resounding commercial success of this year’s tournament. The new 48-team format, deemed too big by many, produced moving underdog stories with seven teams reaching the knockout phase for the first time. Infantino has floated the idea of further expanding the World Cup to 64 teams in 2030. 

It’s not clear what the right thing is for the World Cup. The tournament has already become huge in size, with 104 games over 39 days. Players are growing increasingly critical of the sheer number of matches that Fifa, leagues and the regional football bodies are asking them to play.

  Fans are also becoming increasingly weary of the sport’s preoccupation with financial gain. In a first for the tournament, Fifa introduced dynamic pricing for World Cup tickets, a system that automatically modifies costs according to real-time demand and available inventory. The results were record high prices.  

  The organisation has even found ways to guarantee more money in the future. Crowds booed lustily during the controversial “hydration breaks” that interrupted this year’s matches. While Fifa has claimed the decision was solely based on players’ well-being during a tournament that took place during punishing heat, the pauses have conveniently provided time for broadcasters — such as Fox in the US — to sell more advertising.   

 With two hydration breaks per match, broadcasters would gain eight new in-game, 30-second advertising slots. This in turn means Fifa could net even larger sums for the next round of media rights sales.