1. Three hosts with strained relationships
This World Cup will be the first to be hosted by three nations – the United States, Canada and Mexico, as opposed to the usual single nation. 2002 was an exception, when Japan and South Korea broke new ground by sharing hosting duties. This year’s co-hosts have generally had a good relationship, but these have become more difficult since US President Donald Trump began his second term in office. His threats to admit Canada as the “51st” US state and punitive tariffs have soured the mood between two historically close allies. US relations with Mexico have been strained over a number of issues, including their shared border and Trump at least threatening to use military force to deal with drug cartels operating in Mexico.
2. More teams, more games
Forty-eight teams taking part means many more games, a total of 104 compared to 64 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when only 32 countries were involved. The opening match will be between Mexico and South Africa on 11 June in Mexico City.
There will be 12 groups of four teams, compared to eight groups four years ago. The top two teams from each group and the best eight third-placed teams advance to the round of 32. This additional knockout round has been introduced to help reduce the number of teams en route to the final in New Jersey on July 19.
More teams means more opportunities for countries to make it to the World Cup for the first time. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will all be making their debut, which is great news for their fans, but critics are concerned that the increased number of teams could result in a decline in the overall quality of play.
3. Mandatory hydration breaks
Although hydration breaks are nothing new to soccer, FIFA has announced that all World Cup matches will have two such breaks of approximately 22 minutes in each half – regardless of weather conditions.
Previously, when the temperature at kick-off exceeded 31 °C (87.8 °F), the referee was required to call a cooling break for 30 minutes in each half. The change comes amid concerns about higher temperatures expected in some host cities, as was the case at last summer’s Club World Cup in the Americas.
Conveniently for broadcasters, FIFA has confirmed that they will be allowed to cut broadcast advertisements from matches during these 3-minute breaks. This overcomes the problem that plagued American broadcasters during the 1994 World Cup and effectively divides matches into quarters – just as happens with two of the more popular televised sports in the United States, basketball and American football.
4. Human rights concerns
A report released by Amnesty International in March warned that the World Cup “poses significant risks and impacts for fans players, journalists, workers and local communities alike.” The report falls hardest on the United States, which has to host the majority of the matches. It describes the situation there as a “human rights emergency” and points to “recognizable patterns of authoritarian practices” in the country. It expresses particular concern about the conduct of ICE immigration agents deployed in certain states.
Among other things, Amnesty said Mexico had deployed 100,000 security personnel, including the military, in response to high levels of violence in the country.
As far as Canada is concerned, the report cites fears that homeless people could be further marginalized, particularly in the host cities Vancouver and Toronto, as well as restrictions on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
5. High cost of travel, tickets
The distances involved make travel expensive even for North America-based fans. The farthest between the venues are Vancouver and Miami – 4,507 kilometers (2,800 mi). For example, if a Germany fan wanted to follow their team, they would have to travel 2,619 kilometers from Houston to Toronto to New Jersey for the group-stage matches alone.
Ticket prices are such a subject of controversy that fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has filed a lawsuit against FIFA in the European Commission over “excessive ticket prices” for games. A month before the opening match on 11 June, tickets for most group-stage matches remained on general sale. Top tickets for the USA’s opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles were listed at $4,105 (€3,499), while the cheapest seats for some of the less sought-after games were listed at $380.
FIFA’s own resale website, FIFA Marketplace, recently advertised tickets for the final at a price of more than $2 million.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino stands firm on the price, pointing to the small number of less expensive tickets made available to loyal national team fans through their confederations. Speaking in Los Angeles, Infantino said the higher prices reflected demand in an expensive market.
He promised, “And if someone buys a ticket to the finals for $2 million, I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure he has a great experience.”
6. Iran question
Iran have qualified for their seventh World Cup but from the start it looked a difficult proposition. Iran is one of four eligible countries whose citizens face a full or partial ban on travel to the United States, where all of its group games are to be played. Under Trump’s executive order, teams, their coaches and support staff are exempt, but it does not apply to Iranian FA officials.
Earlier this year, the United States and Israel waged a week-long war on Iran, after which the Iranian FA threatened to “boycott” its matches in the US. Trump later said it would not be appropriate for Iran to remain there “for its own life and security.” Now Mexico has agreed to an arrangement in which the team is to remain there, traveling across the border only for two of its matches in Los Angeles and the other in Seattle.
Edited by: Matt Pearson