The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, responded harshly to the criticism that the 2026 World Cup, organized in the United States, Mexico and Canada, has received. In an official statement, he accused the media of being “consumed by hate and criticism” and of having “missed our beautiful sport.”
“While you stand on the sidelines, we at FIFA are on the front line organizing, working hard and putting on the most beautiful spectacle in the world. While you divide, we unite,” wrote Infantino.
The case of Iran as an example of unity
Infantino gave as an example the participation of the Iranian team, which due to the political context had to travel from Mexico to the United States for each match and return to the neighboring country after each match. The FIFA president highlighted that Iran entered US territory “without incident or conflict” and that the chants against it were transformed into a single anthem during their matches.
“This is the power of football; the Iranian team was granted visas to enter because football is synonymous with peace,” said Infantino.
He also criticized the media for focusing on the few cases of denied visas, ignoring the millions of fans who were able to enter. He recalled that the tournament brought Haiti to the world stage, a country that many do not visit. “Maybe it’s time to put aside the pens and keyboards and show some respect to the teams that played with their hearts,” he said.
Infantino concluded by stating that this World Cup – the first with 48 teams – celebrated the best of humanity. “At FIFA we could not be prouder or more moved to experience these moments of love, joy and unity,” he said.
