By Abdulrahman Yahaya, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Football fans across the globe will remember the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the last World Cup that featured the two greatest footballers ever, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But the tournament, hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada, made headlines for other controversial reasons.
It started with gaining access into the host countries, especially the U.S. and Canada.
On June 6, Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry into the U.S. and banned from officiating at the World Cup.
He was turned back by the U.S. Customs at Miami International Airport, citing security and “vetting concerns.”
Ghanaian midfielder, Thomas Partey, was forced to miss Ghana’s opening match against Panama in Toronto after his visa application was denied by the Canadian immigration authorities on June 12.
The authorities cited his ongoing criminal proceedings in the U.K. for seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault involving four different women.
There was also the strict travel restriction on the Iran national football team, with U.S. authorities mandating that the Iranians must not enter U.S. soil earlier than 24 hours before their kick-off time.
The U.S. said that they must leave the country immediately after the final whistle. The Iranians were camped in Tijuana, Mexico.
The visa restrictions did not sit well with football fans around the world who believe football is meant to unite people and not to be used to settle political scores.
Former England international Ian Wright described the situation as chaotic.
“This is the World Cup of Chaos. Tickets are exorbitant, travel costs are high, and visas are being rejected. Is this how a host behaves?”
Like Wright, many believed the hosts and FIFA could have done better with the issuance of visas to football fans and tourists during the tournament.
A Nigerian football fan, James Ogunjimi, said countries that have problems with people visiting should not host a tournament like the World Cup.
“The U.S. and Canada shouldn’t host any FIFA tournament again. Leave international tournaments alone so that people banned don’t try to enter your country to come and play football,” he said.
On June 9, a FIFA spokesperson, reacting to the U.S. denying referee Artan entry, said the governing body does not interfere with immigration processes.
“FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications. In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”
That was not the only FIFA statement that sparked media debate during the tournament.
FIFA made a shocking announcement when it said U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on July 1, had been suspended for a one-year probationary period, allowing the striker to feature in his team’s Round of 16 clash against Belgium.
While addressing reporters at the White House, President Donald Trump confirmed that he had spoken to FIFA demanding that Balogun be allowed to play against Belgium.
Reacting to the strange decision, European football’s governing body UEFA said the decision was “incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
Another issue that elicited reactions was the implementation of the mouth-covering prohibition, a law championed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
In February 2026, Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of racial abuse in their Champions League match. Because Prestianni had covered his mouth with his shirt while speaking, cameras and officials couldn’t determine what he said.
That incident birthed the mouth-covering rule now known as the “Prestianni Law.”
Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón and Piero Hincapié of Ecuador were both sent off for violating the rule at the just-concluded World Cup.
While the law only applies in confrontational situations, it has been criticised by fans and stakeholders as too harsh and open to exploitation by players.
It almost happened at the World Cup final when Spain defender Marc Cucurella covered his mouth briefly as he spoke to Lionel Messi.
The Argentine captain strongly protested that Cucurella be sent off.
UEFA has since announced that players who violate the law in its competitions will only be punished with a yellow card and not a red card.
FIFA also faced pushback after implementing a mandatory three-minute hydration break in each half of matches at the World Cup. FIFA said it was necessary for players’ safety and welfare.
Referees were required to pause the game for three minutes in the 22nd minute of the first half and the 67th minute of the second half.
While coaches like Mauricio Pochettino used the break to give tactical instructions, Didier Deschamps of France criticised the policy, saying it killed the momentum of matches.
Many fans seemed to agree with the France coach. Fans at the stadium during the England vs Ghana game booed loudly when the referee blew the whistle for the water break.
For many fans, FIFA fabricated a medical excuse to generate money from TV advertisements, with reports claiming the football governing body generated $250 million in extra revenue in the U.S. alone.
Although the first 48-team FIFA World Cup ended as a massive financial success, prominent stakeholders like Carlos Queiroz, Ghana’s coach at the tournament, argued that the tournament had become “vulgar and ordinary” as a result of easy qualification.
A football enthusiast, Abdulaziz Opeyemi, said the 32-team World Cup was more balanced, but the new 48-team format wasn’t bad.
“For me, the 32-team World Cup was the perfect balance of quality and exclusivity. However, if the goal is to make football truly global, the 48-team format is a reasonable way to accommodate that,” he said.
For Opeyemi, a 64-team World Cup shouldn’t be considered.
“But what I am against is expanding it to 64 teams. At that point, qualifying for the World Cup would lose its prestige, and the tournament could become too long and diluted.”
The final on Sunday brought to an end an entertaining World Cup in which a record-breaking 308 goals were scored across 104 matches. It still left much to be desired in terms of proper organisation and officiating.(NANFeatures)
Edited by Joseph Edeh
***If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria.