World Cup football in challenging times – Impacted by host country policies

Another FIFA World Cup competition is here. This is usually highly anticipated worldwide, and there is friendly rivalry among countries.   Believe it that international meetings can be interrupted to announce results. It is reported that a priest was once sanctioned for wearing his team colours while presiding at Mass.

This year’s competition is being hosted jointly by Mexico, the USA, and Canada, and will run from June 11 to July 19. This was expected to be a friendly collaboration among neighbours. Now relations are strained. This is a particularly historic World Cup as there are three North American host countries, and 48 teams, 16 more than in previous championships. It is also being played at a geopolitically difficult time.

There are active wars involving Ukraine and Russia, and in the Middle East involving the USA, Israel, Iran and Lebanon. Iran are among the qualifying teams.  The situation in Gaza remains a cause for great concern. US-global relations are uncertain and tense. Immigration is a major global issue, particularly high on the agenda in developed countries, like the USA and those in Western Europe. National policies are impacting the World Cup. There is also the impact of climate change, if the summer heat becomes unusually intense.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Attending this World Cup could be very challenging, especially for people from developing countries. The USA has a list of 39 banned countries; entry fully or partially suspended. In addition, there are the usual difficulties for people from many other countries to obtain a visa to enter the USA.  Visas are also required to visit Canada. The entry requirements for Mexico are a bit more liberal. Remember that there is a non-refundable fee for the visa and a high possibility of having applications denied. Remember, too, that even with a visa, entry is not assured.

Fans from Africa, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America wanting to support their teams or just enjoy the championship have to cross the first hurdles of getting a tourist visa and gaining entry to the host countries.

COSTS OF GAME TICKETS

Especially in the USA, the cost of tickets for games —  from the preliminary rounds to the final —  seems outrageous. Tickets were being sold from US$60 to US$8,000 for final-match seats. FIFA’s pricing methods have been a point of controversy. An investigation into FIFA’s pricing was launched in New York. Now the BBC is reporting that ticket sales are not going as well as first projected. 

Well, if visitors are nervous about securing visas; if they fear being denied entry; and if the price of tickets is prohibitive; why would people, especially from developing countries, invest in attending this World Cup, especially in the USA?

FOOTBALL FESTIVAL

The World Cup is the four-yearly international festival of a game played and loved in nearly all the world’s countries, even when it is called soccer. If some people do not follow local and international club football, they will be following the World Cup. They will be selecting a country to support because it is exciting and they want to be engaged. 

Jamaica did not qualify, but the Central American, Caribbean and North American region (CONCACAF) will be represented by Mexico, USA, Canada, Curaçao, Haiti, and Panama. It is the first World Cup for Curaçao and the second for Haiti. Haiti is a country in economic and political turmoil and this championship could raise spirits. There are teams to support from this region, and there are others who will win you over. The top 10 teams in the world rankings are France, Spain, Argentina, England, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Germany, and they all qualified. Could England, in the 250th year of US independence, actually surprise itself and the world, and win only its second World Cup? 

Good football can be expected from all the participating teams. Like fourth-placed Morocco in Qatar in 2022, there could be big surprises.

Creating this festival atmosphere are the spectators supporting the countries, but, at this World Cup, price aside, will the members of the diasporas in the host countries be comfortable attending the games? Or, will fear of being accosted by immigration agents limit in-person attendance?

It was hoped that teams like Iran, in a conflict with the USA, Haiti on its banned list, and the Congo, where there is an Ebola outbreak, would be allowed to play their games with some sense of security and mental ease at the various venues. From reporting, this may not be the case. The US has restricted ticket sales to Iranian fans and denied entry to the first Somali referee selected to officiate at Cup matches. Somalia is also on its banned list.

 As usual, most of us will be watching on television, the free-to-air channel with exclusive rights. The watch parties will be in country — at home, with friends, in sports bars, and on public screens.

TRADE SHOW

As said in this column in 2022, in the article on the World Cup and International trade, this is also a trade show. This is trade in services. The players and technical teams are displaying their talents in the hope that they will get contracts with various international clubs, especially in Europe.

Development support

It is also hoped that FIFA will make a profit from this championship from media rights, sponsorships, and other ventures, so that more money will be allocated to the regional associations, particularly those in Africa, Asia, and Central America and the Caribbean, for the development of the sport.

There remains some controversy about the extent to which host countries really benefit in the long term from these international sporting events.

Since 2022, when they signed a memorandum of understanding, FIFA and the World Trade Organization have been conducting studies to determine how the football championships for men and women can contribute to economic growth and development.

Let’s hope that this World Cup will be a success, in spite of all the political and economic issues swirling around in host countries, particularly in the USA, and in the world, and in spite of FIFA and its president. Nothing can be changed now. It is what it is. Our spirits can still be lifted watching the beautiful games in our own countries. Please, God, without power or Internet outages, or any other disruptions, man-made or natural.

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Send feedback to [email protected].