The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to face major controversies and criticism due to the host countries having a significant problem with safety concerns, human rights and immigration problems. Additionally, with the numerous other complaints from the players, managers and fans from previous tournaments, I strongly believe the World Cup should be relocated because the host countries proved they are not ready to organize such a prestigious tournament.
I viewed the 2024 Copa America and the 2025 Club World Cup as an opportunity to see if North America was ready to host this summer’s World Cup. Unfortunately both tournaments had transparent problems that were called out immediately.
After the Copa America opening match against Canada at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni expressed his disappointment with the conditions of the pitch. According to The Athletic, Scaloni said the host had 7 months of preparation, only to change the turf two days before the opening match.
“They knew seven months ago that we were going to play here and they changed the surface two days ago. That’s not good for spectacle,” Scaloni said.
Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco and one of the largest cities in Mexico will host four group-stage matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This will mark the third time Guadalajara has hosted World Cup matches, with the previous times being in 1970 and 1986.
It is very disappointing that with months of preparation, the changes were done last minute. This clearly shows how irresponsible and lazy the hosts are, proving they’re not ready to organize an important tournament. With South America’s Copa America also being often compared to the UEFA European Football Championship, it will just be viewed at a lower level because of the poor work done by the organizers.
However North America faces bigger problems with safety concerns revolving around dangerous heat waves, the violence caused by the Mexican cartel and the United States’s cruelty with immigration.
During the Club World Cup, players had cooling breaks midway through each half of a game because of the terrible heat wave they were playing in. As a fan, I do not want to see players from any team having their health and performance affected by these extreme and dangerous conditions. According to ESPN, the players had to prepare for it by training in wet suits to help get accustomed to the brutal heat waves.
“We knew it was going to be hot and we actually trained in wet suits to try to help us acclimatize, which would never happen now, but it was the hottest I had ever been on a football pitch. It was probably dangerous to play in those conditions,” former Ireland and Manchester United defender Denis Irwin said.
“It was horrendous. It was 117 degrees Fahrenheit at pitch level, and the heat and humidity made it incredibly difficult to concentrate.”
I wouldn’t want to endure a bad heat wave during the hottest time of year either. The fans that were looking forward to the tournament should not be exposed to the extreme heat waves for 90 minutes. If there are more nighttime games where the sun goes down and the temperature begins to cool, maybe the attendance of fans and performance from the players won’t be affected.
The heat waves aren’t the only safety concerns for the upcoming World Cup. The major cartel incident that happened in Mexico and the worries about Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the United States are now striking fear for the fans who want to attend the games.
On Feb. 22, Guadalajara, one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, experienced cartel-related violence that led to days of chaos after cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera was killed during a raid by the Mexican Army Special Forces.
Cartel members vandalized businesses, destroyed vehicles and damaged infrastructure as a response to the death of their leader. Hugo Alejandro Perez, a 53-year-old restaurant owner in Guadalajara, said he believes the World Cup should not be hosted in the city, according to FOX Sports.
“It doesn’t help us residents at all, honestly,” Perez said. “They should move it to Monterrey or Mexico City. But right now here, we’re not convinced. Things aren’t in good enough shape for foreigners to be coming to Jalisco for an event like this.”
The chaos caused Liga MX, the highest level of the Mexican football league system, to suspend Querétaro vs. FC Juarez and as well the Chivas vs. América game from the women’s league.
If the violence in Mexico was enough to postpone official games, we should be worried this could possibly happen again for the World Cup. It is normal for games to be postponed due to weather, schedule conflicts and even the passing of someone that was close to the team. However, it isn’t normal for games to be postponed because of cartel-related violence.
Gov. Pablo Lemus of Jalisco clarified that there is no possibility that the four World Cup matches to be held in Guadalajara would be relocated. As reported by ESPN, FIFA President Gianni Infantino also showed his support and complete confidence in Mexico’s ability to host the games for the upcoming World Cup.
“Of course, we are monitoring the situation in Mexico these days, but I want to say from the outset that we have complete confidence in Mexico, in its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and in the authorities,” Infantino said. “We are convinced that everything will go as smoothly as possible.”
It’s ridiculous to believe that with three months left to go until the tournament kicks off, the harm done in Mexico is not enough to even consider relocation. The violence was bad enough to require the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to urge citizens to shelter in place, and the order didn’t lift till two days after.
I’ll be very disappointed if the tournament that happens every four years becomes a mess, especially if the mess can be prevented with relocation. Sadly, this problem isn’t only with Mexico. The United States is also facing major safety concerns that’s worrying tourists who could struggle with the country’s strict immigration policies.
The controversies revolving around the United States have continued to worsen with the constant worry and rise in fear over the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. There have been two ICE related shootings in Minneapolis that had sparked a nationwide attention protest to abolish the agency for their aggressive tactics.
An article by ABC7 News reported on Jan. 7, ICE shot and killed Renne Good, a 37-year-old mother of three children while she was in her car. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner reports her death as homicide after revealing the cause of death was “multiple gunshot wounds.”
On Jan. 24, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and a licensed gun owner was shot multiple times by Customs and Border Protection. According to BBC News, The Department of Homeland Security said the agents fired in self-defence after Pretti was said to be resisting their attempts to disarm him when trying to remove his holstered weapon.
BBC analyzed multiple videos showing moments before the shooting, and as the video shows, he is trying to help a woman who was pepper sprayed by an agent, he is wrestled to the ground and later fatally shot with ten gunshots heard in the video. Finally, in a filed testimony, there were two witnesses that challenged the DHS account of what happened. They both claim they did not see Pretti wield his weapon.
If today we are seeing U.S. citizens being killed by their own immigration enforcement, I could only imagine the fears that people traveling into the country to attend would have.” I love the sport, but I wouldn’t want to risk my life or the people I love trying to attend a game.
Additionally, many fans of the sport are intimidated that ICE will use the security checkpoints at the World Cup and overall venue for potential arrests. When previously asked by ESPN about the ongoing ICE raids across the country during the Club World Cup, Infantino emphasized that security is most important when it comes to fans.
“No, I don’t have any concerns about anything in the sense that we are very attentive to any security question of course,” Infantino said. “The most important for us is to guarantee security for all fans who come to the games and this is our priority and the priority of all the authorities who are here.
I can only see this as a cash grab by FIFA, because what else needs to happen for FIFA to relocate the World Cup to somewhere more safe and economically better. The World Cup was already relocated once before in 1986 from Colombia to Mexico because of economic issues and safety concerns, so with what’s happening in both countries it’s only fair and reasonable that it happens here as well.
As of Wed. March 4, there are still no plans to move the World Cup matches away from Guadalajara, but Infantio’s aim is to enhance security in preparation for the summer tournament. His stance has continued to receive criticism from fans all over the world who are worried about the brutal heat waves, Mexican cartel and immigration enforcement at the World Cup.
Every World Cup has had its share of headaches, but I strongly believe this upcoming prestigious tournament has so many preventable problems that are stacked together because of the disappointingly little changes done by the hosts and FIFA’s greed to prioritize revenue over fan safety and accessibility.
