On Saturday 30 May, two tired European football teams took to the field in Hungary, to contest the finals of the European League 2026 – defending champion, Paris St German of France and England’s Arsenal. Both teams would have won the major competition in their respective countries while battling for the several other home-based titles.
As we look forward to the FIFA World Cup which begins on 11 June, we must be ever mindful that the major football leagues across the world have only recently concluded. In Europe, for example, where so many of the better footballers are contracted by leading clubs, the French League ended on 17 May while the English Premier League and its Spanish equivalent, La Liga, concluded on 24 May. It is worth noting that the different leagues across Europe began in August of 2025. In essence, then, a significant number of the players who have been named to their respective World Cup teams have been engaged in playing extremely competitive football for the past 10 months and, with no rest of any significance, are into about three to four weeks practice with their respective national teams engaged in the once prestigious World Cup.
I have deliberately used the term, ‘once prestigious’ because even the most cursory analysis of the recent past editions of the FIFA World Cup suggest a decline in the standard and quality of the team performances at the sporting spectacle that is increasingly noticeable to the most avid analyst of the sport. Some may even suggest that the lead organisation, FIFA, may do well review the product that is the World Cup and determine whether it has placed its revenue-generating capacity well above the quality of the competition and how fans across the globe respond to what is placed before them.
Important changes
FIFA has, over the past several decades, developed itself into an international sporting spectacle of significant proportion. We have seen football clubs grow exponentially as professional business organisations, generating windfall profits and offering a seeming endless programme that provides successive generations of players with millionaire status.
The recent disclosure of England’s David Beckham being the first English sportsman to officially join the millionaire’s club, is a reflection of what is happening in the sport today.
The competitive nature of the sport of football has led to an increasing number of important issues, not all of which have been considered beneficial.
While on the one hand we continue to be treated to outstanding players, male and female, increasing salaries and bonuses for players, managers and coaches and significant club revenues, there is also the continuing, unacceptable reports of abuses of young players taken from their homelands for academies only to end up among the growing number of street-people in cities across Europe, in particular.
There seems no end to the appeal of the sport of professional football to the wealthy, many of whom have found opportunities to enhance their wealth through increased engagement and innovation.
Today we have owners who have no background in sport but for whom the revenue-generation capacity of the sport has gained their attention and growing investment.
While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to ‘play games’ with its conscience and offers professional athletes medals instead of prize-money, claiming the traditional philanthropic mantra, it is the beneficiary of significant revenues from the Olympics thanks, in large measure, to the performances of the ‘best’ athletes in the world – a classic form of class exploitation.
The wealthy football Barons have conceptualised the European Super League, which the traditionalists have rejected, for the time being. There is little doubt that the protagonists of a more exploitative concept for the future of the sport have not ended their exploration. Their desire for increasing financial benefits drive them to continue seeking innovations. This is to be expected as the international federation for the sport, FIFA, continues its own search for new opportunities to ‘build’ the sport and its annual revenues.
The continued exploitation of footballers on almost every continent is surrendered on the altar of economic expediency and the persistent desire from larger revenues, annually.
The international media continue to play ‘hide and seek’ with investigative sports journalism, all too often burying stories that expose the ‘soft underbelly’ of the ‘dark side’ of the sport. The truth often comes to light long after the occurrence of the thorny, torturous experiences have long passed.
For now, international football is among the most followed sports. The despicable expose that led to a scandal that snared some of the sport’s top executives, never phased the organisation’s global standing. Not a single sponsor left the sport following the several court cases around the world and the demise of the accused officials. This should come as no surprise just as the several sponsors of the Olympic Games have remained silent on the IOC’s continued refusal to appropriately address the non-earning capacity of their victories at the quadrennial sport spectacle and the seeming failure to allow for the most fundamental of democratic principles to guide the organisation’s governance structures and managerial practices.
Football World Cup 2026
Football is no stranger to controversy. This year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup is perhaps set apart from its trailer-load of controversies.
Concerns began to appear amongst participating nations when the US government began a new approach to redressing the country’s immigration challenges, changing policies that led, in several instances, to the deportation of numerous people, many of them to countries about which they knew nothing. That situation has left many would-be spectators and lovers of football from wanting to venture into the US during the World Cup.
The war between Israel, the USA and Iran, continues to wreak much uncertainty even as the competition is scheduled to start a few days from now. There is no end in sight for the war which is negatively impacting people and economies everywhere. Airfares continue to rise in value and so too, gas prices, making international and domestic travel extremely expensive and in some cases, unaffordable.
There are challenges in procuring travel visas to the USA despite claims that there may be some facilitation. However, many are afraid to risk even attempting to apply for a visa under the seemingly ever-changing policies.
One recent policy enunciated has been that only people with bonafide World Cup tickets can apply for a visa to the USA.
Individuals with families in the USA who may have run afoul of US Immigration may also be fearful of being rejected when applying for travel visas.
Then there is the matter of the cost of tickets to the different World Cup matches. While FIFA is claiming one stance, media reports are quite conflicting, suggesting that in some instances the cost of a ticket may be too prohibitive to allow some interested and committed patrons from making the trip to a game.
Sheer tiredness
The most recent editions have taught us not to expect the World Cup matches to be overly exciting.
We can expect that commentators will do their best at generating interest in the matches. Loyal fans that have travelled far and wide to get to the matches would seek to exact every ounce of emotion in supporting their teams.
It appears, however, that some teams will have players that are either already or close to becoming geriatric. Some may be unable to stay on the field for longer than a half (45 minutes), at best, while others who find their teams in extra time matches may only be able to watch when the ball passes by, unable to make an extra stretch to reach it. After all, how many minutes of play could one realistically make when at ages between 35 – 42.
We are all too familiar with the scenario where even for penalty kicks, some of the once very best athletes may be unable to put together their skill competencies to make best of the opportunity.
It is sad when some of the once-valued teams find themselves in game situations where teams with more youthful and physically better prepared, run rings around them, through sheer tiredness.
Football is one of the world’s most popular sports and generates tremendous excitement. It also generates very strong emotions amongst fans that often lead to violent confrontations with supporters of opposing teams, even when playing in a foreign country where the laws are strictly enforced.
Conclusion
Millions around the world are waiting with bated breath on the first whistle of the opening match scheduled for Mexico City where the host will take on South Africa. There is little doubt that the Mexican authorities, like those in Canada and the USA, the other co-hosts, will have adequate security in place for the players and all sport tourists.
We all look forward to the longest FIFA World Cup, with 48 teams playing over 39 days.
History beckons! Controversy lurks!
