标签： North America

After more than three decades since the United States last welcomed the FIFA World Cup, the world’s most-watched sporting spectacle is returning to North American soil this summer, co-hosted jointly by the US, Canada and Mexico. As the kickoff draws near, organizers and local communities are navigating a range of pre-tournament challenges, from lingering geopolitical tensions and widespread frustration over strict visa rules to sticker shock from record-high ticket prices. At the top of many minds remains one pressing question: is the United States truly prepared to shoulder the pressure of co-hosting an event of this unprecedented scale?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, has been hit by another high-profile controversy after Somali referee Omar Artan – set to make history as the first Somali official to work a World Cup finals – was denied entry to the US and removed from the tournament’s officiating roster.

Artan, a FIFA-listed referee since 2018 with prior experience officiating at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, says he completed an grueling 11-hour immigration interview at Miami International Airport before being detained in a holding cell for several hours and ultimately repatriated on a flight back to Istanbul. The referee told reporters he carried all required documentation, including a specifically issued diplomatic passport arranged after earlier travel complications and a valid US visa aligned with World Cup requirements.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told the New York Times. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream – the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup. I think that they have a problem with my country.”

To date, US immigration authorities have not released any public explanation for the entry denial. Somalia is one of the Muslim-majority nations included in a travel restriction first implemented by the Trump administration, and President Trump reaffirmed his anti-immigrant stance toward Somalis just months ago, telling reporters Somali immigrants should “go back to where they came from.”

FIFA confirmed Artan’s removal from the roster in an official statement earlier this week, noting that global governing body has no authority over host country immigration processes. “Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States,” the statement read. “Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present.”

Senior advisors with Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and embassy officials based in Nairobi have both corroborated Artan’s account, confirming all of his travel documentation was valid and issued in accordance with US entry requirements for World Cup officials.

Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, defended US Customs and Border Protection’s decision in comments to BBC World Service. “While I can’t go into the derogatory information on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision,” Giuliani said.

The structure of the 2026 tournament leaves Artan no alternative path to participate: FIFA’s lead referee official Pierluigi Collina has centralized all 52 referees and 88 assistant referees at a training and preparation hub in Miami, requiring all on-pitch officials to remain based in Florida for the duration of pre-tournament preparations and the event itself. Allowing Artan to only officiate matches held in Canada or Mexico is not permitted under tournament logistics rules.

Artan’s exclusion is just the latest in a string of disruptions that have marred the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off June 11 and runs through July 19. Just one day after Artan’s removal, Iran’s national football federation announced that all of its allocated fan tickets for the team’s group stage matches had been revoked by tournament organizers.

Prominent British football pundit and former England striker Ian Wright has labeled the ongoing string of issues a “World Cup of chaos” in a viral Instagram video. “Every few hours, it’s another story about fans denied, player denied, officials denied, journalists denied, now refs,” Wright said. “I’m laughing but it’s not funny. The most expensive tickets ever, expensive accommodation, transport through the roof. Is this how the hosts behave for the greatest game, the greatest tournament in the world? I feel for the American fans who are desperate for this – how embarrassing for this must be for them.”

The 202X NBA Finals took another dramatic twist on Monday, as the San Antonio Spurs secured a nail-biting 115-111 road victory over the New York Knicks at the world-famous Madison Square Garden, cutting the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1.

At the center of the win was 7-foot-4 generational talent Victor Wembanyama, who bounced back from a costly error-ridden performance in Game 2 to deliver a dominant 32-point outing. The young star added eight rebounds and six assists to his stat line, anchoring the Spurs’ comeback after a slow first half.

The sell-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, which hosted its first NBA Finals game since 1999, also got a surprising political spotlight: sitting US President Donald Trump, who made history as the first sitting US president to attend an NBA Finals championship series, was loudly booed by attendees when his image appeared on the arena’s big screen during the pre-game national anthem.

Wembanyama was not alone in securing the critical win for San Antonio. Guard Stephon Castle chipped in 23 crucial points, while reserve Dylan Harper added 13 points off the bench to shore up the Spurs’ second unit. The win was far more than just a single game victory: it kept the Spurs from falling into a 0-3 series deficit, a hole no NBA franchise has ever climbed out of in Finals history.

For the Knicks, the defeat snapped a 13-game overall winning streak that had carried them through the early rounds of the playoffs, leaving them two wins short of the Golden State Warriors’ all-time playoff winning streak record set in 2017. The Knicks have not claimed an NBA championship since 1973, and their quest to end the 50-plus-year drought now heads to a pivotal Game 4.

The game unfolded as a back-and-forth battle: New York held a 64-57 lead at halftime, but the Spurs rallied with a 35-point third quarter to flip the score in their favor. With just under two minutes remaining, Castle drained a three-pointer to push San Antonio’s advantage to 111-104. Unlike Game 1, where the Spurs collapsed under a late New York surge, this time San Antonio held firm under pressure. Even after OG Anunoby knocked down a late three-pointer to cut the lead to two points, Castle iced the game with two clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds.

Anunoby finished the game with 28 points for the Knicks, while point guard Jalen Brunson matched Wembanyama’s output with 32 points of his own.

Speaking after the game, Wembanyama kept his team grounded despite the much-needed win. “We’ve done what we were supposed to do but the job is absolutely not done,” he said. “We’re not even halfway. The hardest is yet to come.”

The best-of-seven series will remain at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 on Wednesday, with tipoff scheduled for 01:30 BST on Thursday. After that, the series will travel back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday, scheduled to tip off at 01:30 BST on Sunday.

As the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off Thursday at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca – the first venue ever to host three World Cup opening games – the global football community is gearing up for what FIFA President Gianni Infantino calls “the greatest event humanity has ever seen.” This summer’s tournament, the first 48-team, tri-nation World Cup spread across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, is already making history for far more than just its groundbreaking size. From political polarization to exorbitant ticket prices, unresolved security gaps and environmental concerns, this expanded showcase of the world’s most popular sport carries with it a level of contention unseen in any previous World Cup.

Infantino has framed the first pan-continental iteration of the tournament as the most inclusive, welcoming and unifying edition in the event’s 96-year history. But critics say those superlatives mask deep flaws that have undermined the tournament before a ball is even kicked: it is the most politicized, the most expensive, the most carbon-intensive, and the most commercially lucrative for FIFA itself, which is projected to pull in a record-breaking $9 billion in revenue this year alone.

The current state of play began eight years ago, when FIFA awarded the 2026 hosting rights to the North American bid, a move crafted to help the governing body rebuild its reputation after crippling 2010 corruption scandals tied to the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cups. With most stadium infrastructure already in place across the three countries, the bid was seen as a low-risk, high-reward proposition that would leverage the world’s most valuable commercial sports market to unlock unprecedented broadcasting and sponsorship revenue. That windfall will let FIFA distribute $2.7 billion to global member associations over the next four years, a boost widely viewed as strengthening Infantino’s odds of securing a third term as president in 2027.

But the first major controversy to erupt has centered on ticket pricing, which has sparked public backlash and even official investigations. Ahead of the 2018 bid, organizers promised final tickets would cost no more than $1,550. When tickets went on sale last December, the most expensive premium seats hit $8,680, with dynamic pricing – a first for World Cup, where ticket costs fluctuate based on demand – pushing costs even higher for popular matches. Leading supporters’ groups called the pricing a “monumental betrayal,” and while FIFA released a limited batch of $60 entry-level tickets, New York and New Jersey officials have launched a formal probe into allegations that FIFA artificially inflated prices and misled fans. Thousands of tickets for matches featuring lower-ranked nations are currently selling below face value on official and secondary platforms, suggesting the governing body overestimated demand for high-priced inventory.

Off the pitch, other costs have also sparked anger. Regular train fares from New York City to MetLife Stadium, host of the 2026 final, jumped from $12.90 to as high as $150, with New Jersey’s governor blaming FIFA for refusing to subsidize public transport costs. A late policy change that initially banned reusable water bottles from stadiums drew widespread condemnation over public health risks, with 14 of 16 host venues expected to see dangerous summer heat; FIFA walked back the ban days later under intense pressure from fans and politicians, though scientists still warn the governing body’s heat safety protocols remain inadequate to protect players and spectators.

The tournament’s most intractable challenges, however, stem from its unprecedented entanglement in global politics, amplified by the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second administration. Never before has a host country been engaged in ongoing military conflict with a participating nation: after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February, with a ceasefire holding only nominally since April, Trump initially questioned whether Iran should be allowed to participate, suggesting unqualified Italy should replace the four-time World Cup qualifier. Iran ultimately secured its place in the draw, but the country has accused the U.S. of denying visas to dozens of its backroom staff, imposing harsh entry requirements for matches hosted in the U.S., and revoking all fan ticket allocations for its group stage matches. FIFA has also moved to ban Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag from stadiums, turning Iran’s opening two matches in Los Angeles – home to one of the world’s largest Iranian diaspora communities – into inherently politically charged events. The team relocated its training base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, to avoid ongoing political and travel friction.

Immigration policies have created even broader barriers to entry. Back in 2017, during Trump’s first term, Infantino warned that a U.S. travel ban on majority-Muslim nations violated FIFA rules and could disqualify the U.S. from hosting. Today, four participating nations – Iran, Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast – face full or partial travel bans on their fans under second-term Trump administration policies, with the White House citing security concerns. BBC analysis found fans from more than a quarter of the 48 participating teams face either travel bans, tightened visa restrictions, or extremely high visa rejection rates. Most recently, FIFA confirmed that Omar Artan, set to become the first Somali referee at a men’s World Cup, was dropped from the officials’ roster after U.S. immigration denied his entry visa. The International Sports Press Association has also complained that dozens of accredited journalists have been denied entry visas to cover the tournament.

Infantino’s close public relationship with Trump has drawn further criticism: last year, he awarded the U.S. president a controversial FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw, drawing condemnation from human rights groups that label the tournament a “bonanza of sportswashing” as Trump leverages the event to boost his political standing, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. Amnesty International has warned the World Cup risks becoming “a stage for repression,” highlighting abusive U.S. immigration enforcement and the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the tournament’s security apparatus, coming off a high-profile fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens during an ICE immigration crackdown earlier this year. The White House World Cup Task Force has pushed back, vowing the tournament will be “the safest, most welcoming sporting event in history,” though a recent partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security – the agency leading tournament security – exposed critical planning gaps that officials admit are still being addressed just weeks ahead of kickoff. The recent Ebola outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose team will play group matches in Houston, Atlanta and Guadalajara, has added an additional public health layer to security planning.

Even environmental pledges have come under fire. While the use of existing stadiums aligns with FIFA’s goal to cut carbon emissions 50% by 2030, the expanded 104-match tournament spread across three countries has forced teams, fans and media to rely heavily on air travel, leading environmental groups to label it the most climate-damaging World Cup in history. It is projected to generate more than nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, almost double the average of the past four World Cups – far exceeding the 3.6 million ton estimate included in the original 2018 bid, which promised the tournament would set new sustainability standards for global sport.

In host co-host Mexico, challenges are already playing out in plain view: high ticket prices have priced out local fans, ongoing cartel violence has raised security concerns, and teacher protests demanding higher wages have toppled World Cup player statues and threatened to disrupt match play. In the U.S., polls show a majority of average Americans say the tournament is too expensive to attend, and hotel bookings across almost all host cities are well below initial projections, suggesting high costs and political tensions have deterred casual fans. Even for international visiting supporters, turnout is lower than expected: the Football Supporters’ Association projects just 12,000 to 15,000 England fans will attend each of the team’s group matches, a figure leaders call disappointing given pre-tournament excitement.

As the world turns its attention to Estadio Azteca for the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, the tournament stands at a crossroads. Proponents argue the expanded 48-team format will be a transformative moment for football in the U.S., which last hosted the tournament in 1994, when the event helped propel the sport into the American mainstream. Today, with a thriving domestic MLS and massive U.S. investment in European football, supporters see an opportunity to unlock a trillion-dollar growth market for the global game. But critics warn that the unbridled expansion, commercialization and politicization of this World Cup has created a perfect storm of controversy that could overshadow the on-pitch action. The next five weeks will answer one burning question: will this unprecedented tournament cement football’s place as the world’s most popular sport, or will it collapse under the weight of its own unaddressed challenges?

Months of electric anticipation for the New York Knicks’ first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years reached a fever pitch on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but the historic home game was overshadowed by sweeping security measures and a public split over a surprise high-profile attendee: sitting U.S. President Donald Trump, the first sitting commander-in-chief ever to attend an NBA Finals contest.

Trump, a Queens native whose relationship with deep-blue New York City has long been fraught, touched down in Manhattan via Marine One after spending the morning at his New Jersey golf club, then traveled to the Garden via a closed motorcade. The massive security detail deployed for his visit shut down all vehicle and foot traffic for blocks around the iconic arena, deployed thousands of NYPD officers and hundreds of Secret Service agents, and strung metal barriers along every surrounding street, forcing ticketholders and fans to endure airport-style security screenings and wait in lines stretching more than two blocks to enter.

By the time Trump took his courtside seat alongside his granddaughter Kai, Knicks owner James Dolan, and multiple senior members of his administration—including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and special envoy Steve Witkoff—frustration was already running high among fans inside and outside the venue. When the arena’s center jumbotron cut to a shot of Trump saluting during the pre-game national anthem, the crowd erupted in loud, sustained boos.

The security crackdown upended plans across the neighborhood for a night that was supposed to be a once-in-a-generation celebration. Local bars near the Garden, which typically earn massive profits on big game nights, saw foot traffic dry up behind barriers and left many venues nearly empty. The official community watch party planned outside Madison Square Garden was canceled entirely due to the security restrictions, forcing thousands of ticketless fans to relocate to nearby Bryant Park, where crowds packed the streets dressed in the Knicks’ iconic orange and blue to cheer on the team on shared screens and laptops. Even city landmarks including the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center were lit up orange and blue to mark the occasion, but the disruption left many fans irritated.

“The high security is killing the vibe of the Knicks,” one local resident told the BBC. A 44-year-old fan who watched the game from the Bryant Park watch party, who was 17 the last time the Knicks faced the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 Finals, called the widespread disruption “very annoying.”

Not all reaction to the president’s attendance was negative, however. Anthony Pulley, a 43-year-old Knicks fan, acknowledged the inconvenience of the security measures, telling AFP that “it really put a damper on all the watch parties,” but added that “it’s pretty cool he wants to show up and be a part of it.”

Monday’s game was not lacking in star power beyond the president: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was in attendance, along with an A-list roster of celebrities including Timothee Chalamet, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Larry David, and Spike Lee, plus local sports legends Derek Jeter and Eli Manning, all filling premium courtside seats.

The 2025-26 NBA season has marked a stunning turnaround for the Knicks, who have spent decades as one of the league’s worst performing franchises before clinching a spot in the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Entering Game 3, the Knicks held a 2-0 series lead, and fans across Manhattan had been celebrating wildly all week. Even when the first two games were played in San Antonio, thousands of fans packed the streets near the Garden, leading to dozens of arrests after crowds climbed lampposts, jumped on food carts, and blocked traffic.

Tickets for the first home game of the series have broken records for cost, with the cheapest resale tickets listed for upwards of $10,000, and premium seats going for more than $100,000—far above the Knicks’ already league-high standard ticket prices. When asked about the exorbitant costs earlier last week, Trump brushed off the concern, saying “It’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television.” Mayor Mamdani confirmed to reporters Monday that he paid nearly $1,000 for his own ticket to the game.