Spain’s image also triumphed at a highly political World Cup | OneFootball

Spain lifted the 2026 World Cup on 19 July, yet the tournament was as political as it was sporting. According to Superdeporte, across 39 days football became a stage for influence and a mirror of a fractured world.

This was the biggest finals, with 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities. Expansion opened new markets, swelled sponsorship and audiences, and reinforced FIFA’s reach to a cumulative 5.5 billion.

United States, Mexico and Canada co-hosted, projecting cooperation while tensions lingered. Mexico’s president and Canada’s prime minister skipped the opening and attended only the closing. In the United States, Donald Trump courted Gianni Infantino, and the president presented Lamine Yamal’s medal at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.

The intervention around Folarin Balogun’s ban, then its withdrawal after public comment from Trump, fuelled claims of political meddling. It highlighted a faultline, FIFA asserts autonomy yet depends on governments, visas, infrastructure, security and capital.

Geopolitics bit hard, with visa curbs hitting Iran’s delegation amid Washington’s confrontation with Tehran, and Russia still excluded over Ukraine. The tournament also revealed FIFA’s limits, as United States interests shaped the event and Infantino’s pivot towards new tournament-linked ventures unsettled parts of European football.

Amid that backdrop, Spain projected a different image. Defined by collective clarity, diversity and recognisable football, the champions connected with a club-leaning nation after beating Argentina in the final. With 2030 featuring Morocco as a United States ally and 2034 going to Saudi Arabia, the World Cup again showed football’s value as soft power.

Source: Superdeporte

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”