The Good, the Bad, and Infantino’s Ugly Side of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Coming into the tournament, the mood was one of doom and gloom, with many predicting it would be the worst World Cup ever. 

However, the feeling after the tournament is different, even though there was drama and chaos – plenty of it. It was a competition that had everything: the good, the bad and the ugly – sorry, Mr Infantino. 

From the blast of the first whistle at the Azteca to the final scene of Rodri lifting the gold trophy for Spain, here is my recap of the good, the bad, and the ugly moments of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Fans might have their opinion on FIFA’s leadership, which I will get to later, but it is hard to deny that the 2026 World Cup was nothing but a success for FIFA. 

The ultimate football body could not have hoped for a better tournament than what we all witnessed over the last 30 days. Despite the issues and the bad press coverage that it rightly got ahead of the opener, this has been a successful competition for FIFA. 

FIFA can now say that it was right to hand the major share of the hosting duties to the United States of America, despite the criticism it received from various quarters. 

Everything that was supposed to play a major role in the success of a World Cup happened at this World Cup.

For FIFA, it is its most successful World Cup tournament ever, with multiple reports claiming that the body will generate about $9-13 billion in revenue from this tournament alone. 

That is more than twice what FIFA made from the Qatar 2022 World Cup and almost four times what UEFA will make from the Champions League in the next two years.

Although one could argue that FIFA was always bound to generate more money due to the expansion, no one expected it to be on this scale.

The World Cup will always be FIFA’s cash cow, but it hit a jackpot when it decided to host this edition in North America, with the majority of the games taking place in America. 

FIFA’s decision to stage the majority of the games in America contributed to the massive amount of money they are expected to make, as their adoption of a dynamic pricing model and resale platform helped drive up revenue. 

This pricing model meant that FIFA would take a 15% fee from both the reseller and the ticket buyer. Initially, it was predicted that this pricing system would not work, as many believed fans would not pay the ridiculous price the tickets were going for on the resale platform. 

However, many were wrong, as all the games were completely sold out, despite the high ticket prices. While this dynamic pricing model is not right, as it denied many fans the opportunity to watch the games, FIFA would also feel they were right to adopt this model, given the success. 

Aside from the money they made from ticket sales, another added benefit of hosting a World Cup in America for FIFA is that it attracted new partnerships, which meant more millions. 

Already, FIFA's main source of income comes from the sale of broadcasting, licensing and hospitality rights, sponsorship deals and ticket sales.

However, a World Cup in America – the world’s commercial capital – will always attract new partnerships, and that was exactly the case. 

For example, FIFA introduced hydration breaks in each half of all the games played at this World Cup. Although FIFA explained that it was for the players' health benefit, the real truth is that it was to allow companies to advertise their products, turning football into a four-quarter American sports format. 

According to reports, Powerade paid about $8 million for the exclusive naming and branding rights to the mandatory hydration breaks at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the breaks generating an estimated $250 million in ad revenue for Fox Sports, one of FIFA’s broadcast partners. 

Looking at the numbers, it is only fair for FIFA to say this has been a successful tournament for the organisation, even if fans and purists have their objections. 

Also, aside from the money part, the product on and off the pitch was great to behold. Despite the USA’s strict visa issues, this World Cup still had that fan vibe.

Unlike the Qatar 2022 edition, the 2026 World Cup had a rich fan culture, thanks to the diverse and large immigrant population in the USA. 

From the Norwegians doing the now-famous Viking row to the flamboyant Dutch fans singing Snollebollekes’ Left Right song, the 2026 World Cup was indeed an exhibition of different countries' cultures, which were missing in Qatar. 

The product on the pitch was also great as the stars showed up, which is not what we can say about previous tournaments. Every big player, from Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappé, showed out in every game, which is what fans paid to see. 

There were also some amazing storylines, notably that of Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha, who became an overnight global celebrity following his heroics in the Blue Sharks’ opener against Cape Verde.

Yes, every World Cup changes the story of some players by making them stars, but it is hard to imagine that Vozinha would have reached this new level of fame if the World Cup had not been in America. 

His publicity reached new heights after appearing on the CBS morning talk show. No other country would have given him that kind of access. 

Even for established players like Haaland, he still benefited from an American World Cup, as he gained millions of American fans. Haaland gained over 20 million followers during the World Cup and became a household name in the States this summer. 

The World Cup is the biggest show on earth, but America took it to another level, showing that no country on earth knows how to put on a show like them. 

While there were so many positives to pick from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it was not without its issues, either. The biggest issue concerned fans, as many were unable to travel to the USA due to the country's strict immigration laws. 

This should not have been the case because every country hosting the World Cup already knows what it signed up for and should be welcoming to all. There should have been special dispensation for fans, especially during the World Cup. 

However, that was not the case this time, as a large portion of fans were denied entry, while the ones who could attend were priced out. 

It’s important to note that fans were not the only ones, as Somalian referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was one of the match officials selected by FIFA, was also denied entry into the United States. Yes, every country has its laws and has the right to deny individuals entry, but there has to be a genuine reason. 

However, in the case of Artan, the USA failed to provide a genuine reason, while FIFA also never intervened on his behalf. As a result, the Somalian ref had to return home, missing out on the biggest moment of his career. 

This should never have happened and must be prevented from happening in the future. Going forward, FIFA has to state clearly to host nations their responsibilities. 

It may have been a successful World Cup in America, but for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, he has a lot of work to do after his reputation took a massive hit. All the problems FIFA faced during this World Cup were down to his actions after failing to stand up to President Trump. 

The 56-year-old bent over and did every one of Trump’s bidding, no matter how ridiculous the request was. Trump had complete control over him, and he never once denied his requests or even tried to make him see reason. 

For example, Infantino could have reached out to the president to plead for Artan’s case, but he never even tried, which is really ridiculous. However, that is not even as bad as the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card after Trump reached out to Infantino. 

Balogun had been controversially sent off in the USA’s win over Bosnia but had his red card overturned ahead of the game against Belgium after Trump asked Infantino for a favour. 

That happened to be the last straw that broke fans, putting Infantino in an untenable position as the decision flouted the rules of the game and also put the integrity of football into question. 

Although Infantino remains the FIFA president, his reputation and popularity have never been more damaged than they are right now. The Swiss football administrator will need to do a lot of cleaning up if he is to regain the trust of the football community, but he might not even have the opportunity. 

As for the leadership of FIFA, this should also serve as a wake-up call for them to find another source of income outside of reliance on nation-state purview, thirst for relevance, and soft power. 

While that might be difficult because the World Cup will always be FIFA’s cash cow, maybe it’s time to create laws that make it less vulnerable to the whims of people like Trump.