GAME ON: As the dust settles on off-field controversies, let the World Cup soccer begin

A number of themes that have nothing to do with play have dominated the 2026 build-up.

The 2026 Fifa World Cup, now just days away, heads to North America in the shadow of off-field events directly affecting its host. It was the same four years ago, when Qatar had to defend itself against serious allegations of migrant labour and human rights abuses, as well as laws that were said to discriminate against the LGBTQIA+ community.

There were also accusations that it had paid bribes to secure its hosting of the event. Coming to Qatar’s defence, Gianni Infantino, president of the world soccer governing body, Fifa, gave his now famous “Today I feel Qatari” speech, saying Europe and the West could hardly dish out lessons on morality given their history.

“We have been told many, many lessons from some Europeans, from the Western world,” Infantino said. “For what we Europeans have been doing [to the rest of the world] over the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”

The 2018 edition of the Fifa World Cup also had its controversies: four years earlier, host Russia had illegally annexed Crimea from neighbour Ukraine. Nevertheless, Infantino was full of praise for the Russians, saying at the conclusion of the tournament: “Today I am a happy man... As far as I am concerned, we all fell in love with Russia [during the World Cup].” Less than four years later, Russia invaded Ukraine and the battle between the two countries still rages on as the Ukrainians defend themselves against President Vladimir Putin’s onslaught.

As Africa’s first World Cup host nation, South Africa also faced scrutiny in the lead-up to 2010. Doomsayers said the infrastructure was not up to standard and the plans for improving it would not be finished in time. The 2008 xenophobic unrest fed directly into this negative narrative, exacerbating external perception that SA was an unsafe and lawless country.

Fast-forward to 2026 and similar storylines can be found – at least where the US, one of the tournament’s three cohosts, is concerned. Although Mexico has faced scrutiny because of its drug cartels clashing with authorities in parts of the country, and Canada’s infrastructure has been criticised, it is the US that has hogged the limelight.

The US was initially subjected to scrutiny for human rights and immigration-related issues. This was amplified after President Donald Trump’s government decided to join forces with Israel and begin a war against Iran on 28 February. Ironically, Trump had been the recipient of the i