This Germany Curacao game shows why the expanded World Cup is so embarrassing. Can you imagine a serious team losing 7-1 to Germany before all these new teams were let in?
2010. South Africa. They said theft will be at an all-time high. Unsafe for world cup. Didn't happen.
2014. Brazil. Complained about some of the remote places the venues were. Unsafe for players. Didn't happen.
2018. Russia. "It's not a democracy". There would be marginalization. People would not even be free or allowed entry. Didn't happen.
2022. Qatar. " Slave built stadiums ". A morally bankrupt nation. " It cannot be fun". The tournament is horrible. No alcohols. Religious intolerance. Didn't happen.
2026. US. All the above happening.
We see.
yk fifa banned south africa from international football for 40 years bc of its racist apartheid policies but now it’s “fifa cannot solve geopolitical problems”
When Russia hosted the World Cup in 2018, it had to suspend normal visa rules for the tournament. Foreigners with tickets could enter visa-free, using a scheme called ‘Fan ID.’
Russia also had to do weird stuff to keep FIFA’s sponsors happy. For example, small shops near Fan Zones and stadiums could only sell Budweiser beer on match days.
So yes, FIFA absolutely does dictate conditions to host governments when it suits FIFA. Infantino pretending otherwise is nonsense.