The question on every football fan’s lips, ‘Is the World Cup in 2026 worth attending?’ Oof, so many issues to consider. If you asked me 1,2,3 or 4 years ago, 100% yes, it’s what I do. I have been to 3 World Cups and followed England at every major tournament since 2014. Add in a Copa America and an AFCON and, well… this is kind of what I do.
But as with all World Cups, this one has thrown up a variety of issues and controversies that will make some people think deeply before booking those plane tickets. The reason I’m writing this? Well, I’m trying to decide for myself and hoping this deliberation will make up my own mind. With 3 months to go, it’s crunch time as to whether to get on Skyscanner and make that move.
Where do we even start? There are so many factors to chuck into the mix, commercial, sporting, and as is sadly too often the case, that of morality.
Travel Concerns
When the hosts of the 2026 World Cup were announced eight years ago, the first thing that jumped out was the sheer scale of the travel. 16 stadiums across 3 nations and God knows how many miles. Obviously, groups are regionalised, so for the likes of Scotland and New Zealand it’s not such a concern, but those with ideals of grandeur and hoping to get to the final they’ll tot up some serious airmiles with 8 matches in total.
I did briefly wonder if there were any alternatives and when I suggested buying a car, my American friend said ‘That’s either the most stupid or most crazy question I’ve ever heard’. I’ll err on the side of crazy but you get the point, it was a no go.
Getting from Europe won’t be cheap, if you can get to New York on the East Coast for £600 return you’re doing well, and that’s only the first leg if your games are on the other side of North America. And for many, the culmination of your team’s tournament could be any number of places.
Accommodation will also vary wildly across the three countries depending on usual prices and which teams are playing there. I’m not sure South Africa vs South Korea is going to send the Monterrey hospitality sector into disarray but in some places like Boston you’ll be looking at $100 a night for hostels, no doubt edging higher as we get closer to the start of the competition.
It really is luck of the draw though, you could easily get a beer for under £2 in Mexico but amongst the more expensive American cities you’re going north of £8 a pint.
Ticket Search
So now you’ve splashed out a good few hundred quid getting across the Atlantic, what now? Tickets, if you were lucky then you’ll have won out in the ballots and have sometickets already. If not, through bad luck or awful disorganisation like myself then where do we go from here?
FIFA have long been vilified by, well, everyone who likes football really. And the ticketing process has done nothing to relieve that animosity, merely reiterating their money grabbing tendencies. They have vowed to do their best to reduce the influence of ticket touts….by becoming a ticket tout.
They provide a resale platform taking a cut of 15% from the buyer and 15% from the seller. Three times what they did in Qatar, where at least resale prices were capped. But the brains at FIFA realised that limiting the tout’s exploitation was merely restricting their ability to cream their dirty profits so that cap has now been removed.
Daylight Robbery
FIFA have often been accused of overcommercialising the sport which is much maligned back here in Europe. We are just coming round to the regular pre match light shows for night games but we’re not quite ready for the individual player intros and half time shows. It’s not Super Bowl fellas — though the prices bloody feel like it.
Final tickets were already $2000 for the cheapest, this was listed at $25,000 the next day. You can imagine the FIFA executives rubbing their grubby hands together as they take their $7,500 cut. Scumbags.
Our next chance? April 2nd. The resale platform reopens and we can join the free for all for any remaining tickets. Not gonna lie, I am actually quite excited for the ticket hunt but would much rather have them in my basket already, not quite excited for the £700/£800 prices I was seeing for England tickets though. Let’s see, surely they will drop closer to the time.
In my next article I’m going to try and price up the trip as an England fan…the prospect scares me.
48 Team World Cup??
So now you’ve broken the bank to snaffle yourself some tickets, what are the games going to be like? In my tournament memory, I feel the peak number of teams for quality was Euro 2012 with the 16 best teams in Europe that you were excited to watch. Add another 16 from around the globe and a 32 team World Cup seemed the perfect balance with exciting games right from the off. But in its wisdom FIFA decided to stretch that to 48 teams, thus adding 16 teams of lower quality, even Italy might sneak into this time, is that what it’s come to?
Gianni Infantino will tell you that it brings greater experiences and opportunities to more countries across the world, yes that is true. But the cynics and realists among us all know it also brings more games, more eyes across the world, and thus larger revenues for the suits over in Zurich
It brings the awkwardness of potential third place qualifiers in groups, the uncertainty that brings and the lack of jeopardy for the higher seeded teams. In 2022 when England beat Iran 6-1 in their opener it was pretty much job done and through to the second stage which certainly took an edge off their next two group games.
But it is what it is, it’s done now. Better to embrace the upsides than whinge about the downsides. More games of football can’t be too bad a thing hey?
Host Nation
A huge factor in the success of a tournament is the host nation and how they get into the spirit of things. 2 of the 3 hosts are certainly not known for their prowess in ‘Soccer’ circles, although it is the national game in Mexico by a country mile. North of the ‘The Longest Undefended Border in the World’ in Canada, the global game comes in a lowly 4th, where Ice Hockey still dominates.
And it holds a similar position in the US where it’s no great surprise to see it way behind American Football but quickly catching Baseball to push on into 3rd.
However, with huge youth participation and the Hispanic influence, there will still be plenty of interest in the tournament, though the likelihood of stumbling into a bar and meeting a sports fan whose only knowledge of the game is Messi and Ronaldo is still a high probability.
Hmmm, any other considerations, ah yes, Donald, what to say about the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize winner President Trump. To say he divides opinion is an understatement. But rather than dig into his questionable character, it’s more his policies that will influence this years events. The civil unrest and his battle against illegal immigration has upset a few to say the least.
The US have implemented visa restrictions on countries like Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast. It’s unlikely that travelling fans will be allowed for this year’s event, however the fact there is a visa restriction in the first place indicates that there are plenty of people living there already so no doubt the ex-pats will make their presence felt. Thankfully, players and staff seem to be exempt, one flickering light for Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire is that one of their group games will be in the unrestricted Canada.
Geopolitics
But all of that kind of pales into insignificance compared to the fact that they are now at war with one of the other competitors….well, as was the case when I started drafting this article. But rather than the change of situation being an end to the war, it is sadly an end to the participation of Iran.
3 months to the day of the big tournament kick off in Mexico City, Iran have withdrawn from the competition….or have they? Their Sports Minister has come out and said “under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup”. An understandable viewpoint given the hosts have just wiped out their supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
As it stands Infantino has reiterated that Trump is still welcoming the Iranian team as it’s the regime rather than the people who the US are at war with.
Honestly who’s to know, an incredibly volatile and changing situation. Even discussing football may seem a little trite given the severity of war but it’s a huge issue to take into consideration.
Despite the comments coming from Iran, the withdrawal is not official at the time of writing. This – alongside the war in the Middle East – will no doubt rumble on in the coming months but once again, another huge moral dilemma thrown into the mix that many fans will be considering.
Should their withdrawal or expulsion come to pass then it will mean a reprieve for one of those who missed out, with neighbours Iraq tipped to step in or even the UAE as the highest ranked non qualifier in Asia. All in all, a far cry from the happy vibes less than 4 years ago in Qatar when the USA narrowly beat Iran 1-0. Another fascinating story to monitor going forward that could be an article in its own right
Weather Issues
The Club World Cup last Summer was a bit of a forerunner for this year’s showcase event which highlighted a few unavoidable issues. The extreme heat of the North American summer for example, temperatures will be knocking on for 40 degrees at times. Back in USA 94, the Irish team likened it to “playing football in a Sauna”.
European TV schedules will mean early afternoon kick off times and it won’t just be the players suffering, I certainly wasn’t built for those temperatures so a Summer of bouncing between air-conditioned facilities doesn’t fill me with too much excitement.
Add to that the stoppages if lightning is detected within 10 miles of the stadium. A standard rule across American sports but another buzzkill for those not used to it who will more likely see it as a symptom of lawsuit America. Can’t beat a good ol’ rainstorm to add to the drama of a footy match.
Any Positives?
So, I’ve had a fair old rant above so you know what’s coming next, any America or FIFA haters, you can stop reading now as it’s time for a key change.
Now I know it’s a 3-country tournament and I’m heavily focussing on the USA but that’s because 75% of the matches will be played there with the remainder split between the other two countries. In total the US will host 78 games with 13 each in Canada and Mexico.
AMERICAAAAA!!! They speak English right, what more could we ask for?
One thing’s for sure, these guys know how to put on a spectacle, I know, I know, I just ranted about the half time shows and player entries but other than that, millions of people still turn up to watch Baseball every week in the US, which is testament to how good they are at putting on a spectacle.
You can just imagine the fan zones, the hype, the facilities. It’s all going to be great and add to the experience. Ultimately, I have my preferences, but this is the global game, and it’s meant to entertain. If the prospect of watching Austria vs Jordan isn’t going to get the pulse racing, then at least you’ll have a great day out.
First Timers
Speaking of Jordan, the name is usually mentioned in the circles of Basketball greats, Formula one Teams and highly talented British actresses. But for the first time in 23 World Cups, Jordan is amongst the competitors lining up on the starting grid for their shot at glory.
Other debutants include Uzbekistan and Cape Verde Islands who for a very brief time were the second smallest nation behind Iceland to qualify for the World Cup, that was until Curacao blew them both out of the water with their 150,000 people making them the smallest ever.
Haiti and Panama will also be returning for just their second appearances. And what’s this tournament all about if not the hope, the excitement, the individual stories of how players went from being a farmer 3 years ago to be playing in the sports showpiece event?
We acknowledged football’s current position in the US sporting hierarchy, but this was even lower back in 1994 when the US first hosted the World Cup. I mean they didn’t even have a national championship at the time. They put on a fantastic show, filled enormous stadiums and raised the bar and is still the highest average attended tournament in history. A record that Infantino intimates will be broken this year.
For the first time in 20 years there will be no new build stadiums. Not since Germany has a country relied on its existing stadia. The Azteca in Mexico has already hosted two World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986, Canada are doing a few upgrades but the US is essentially relying on its stock of world class venues used in the NFL.
The MLS itself has enhanced its global reputation ever since David Beckham changed the landscape when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007. Since then, countless genuine superstars have chosen to play out the twilight of their career in the states. Including the greatest of them all. From Beckham to Messi has seen an increase of 42% in the average attendance of MLS games.
The Messi Effect has understandably swept across America since his move to Inter Miami. I’ve no doubt the buzz will be felt across the country this season and the hype will hit fever pitch in time for Summer.
Cultural Depth
One of my favourite things about going to the World Cup is the opportunity to visit and explore cities that you never would have considered. Think Salvador in Brazil and Samara in Russia, I’d never heard of either of them before going but left with the most incredible memories that will last a lifetime. In a future article I’m going to predict directly how this World Cup will compare to others and whether it can live up to expectations.
If someone crosses the pond to Mexico then more often than not it’s to Cancun or similar resorts but due to scaremongering, often miss out on what is an incredible country to visit. No doubt the coastal resorts are great for what they are, but the real heart and true beauty of this country lies inland. Any country with a fixture in Mexico has a plethora of wonderful places to visit and an incredible culture to absorb. Mexican food, Mariachi, Lucha Libre, Ancient Aztec civilisation, the list goes on. The depth of this country goes way beyond the beaches on the Caribbean Sea.
And as for Canada and the US, we have spent our lives experiencing their culture through TV, Films, Music and many other formats, to go and experience that for ourselves will be bloody wonderful. Countless iconic cities and national parks spread across insanely huge nations.
If there isn’t a place in North America on your bucket list, then you’re missing out.
Is The World Cup in 2026 Worth Attending?
So, are we going or not guys?? Of course we’re bloody going!! It’s the World Cup, how can we not go?
It’s the World Cup, it can’t be beaten for spectacle, drama, significance, emotion, excitement, expectation, discussion, hope, despair, it’s the epitome of sport, the last final summed it perfectly, one of the greatest matches in sporting history.
For so many, football is an opportunity to forget the travails of everyday life, unite people together in the love of the beautiful game, something the world needs now more than ever, and just as it always does, football will once again deliver.
Life is short, you don’t always get these opportunities, don’t put it off saying you’ll go to the next one. You never know what will happen in the future. The pinnacle of international football brings a unique atmosphere, millions of fans travelling across the world to watch their team, a true mix of cultures with one shared love. Football.
The vibes are epic, Fanzones will be a place of celebration. World Cup fever even sweeps up those with no care for the beautiful game. A 5-week festival of football. The locals will be on a high from so many happy tourists and the greatest show on earth being in their own back yard. Enjoying these moments before their lives return to normality.
The US, like Mexico, more than most countries in the world is often one that conjures up strong opinions, a place that many hold strong thoughts on. The best way to verify or disprove those thoughts? Get out there and experience it for yourself! Countless times while travelling the world I’ve seen people and cultures that are vastly different from what you may have been led to believe. Money comes and goes, but don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
Perfect Balance
The best scenario? 10 days or 2 weeks, pick 2 or 3 games you may be able to get tickets to and then a couple of incredible tourist destinations in between. Even if, understandably, tickets are a stretch too far, enjoy the vibes, get to the fanzones and soak up the atmosphere.
I’d be shocked if there was anyone reading this far that couldn’t think of at least one place across these nations that they’d love to visit. Now’s the time to make it happen.
Anyway, I hope that’s helped. I’m off to scour Skyscanner and find the cheapest possible route to North America then make some beans on toast for tea because it’s gonna be an expensive summer. See you there? I hope so