Viral clip sets off fresh alarm bells as World Cup descends to farce

In eight days time, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick off in the United States, Mexico and Canada, but the road to getting to that opening match has not been short of controversies.

From an inaugural peace prize being award to US President Donald Trump, the staggering prices of tickets and changes to the game, FIFA has been under fire.

It is not the first time many of these issues have been raised around the World Cup, with almost all host nations dealing with similar concerns.

But the list of controversies dogging the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico is growing. Here’s how they have unfolded so far.

Why are the balls not bouncing?

A viral clip of the Senegalese national team warming up in the US has gained attention, as players were left stunned by the playing surfaces for the tournament

Players could be seen throwing a number of balls into the air and watching them rebound on the pitch, but the ball struggled to bounce back up.

The clip sparked alarm on social media as fans were quick to point out that not only will the lack of bounce change the strategy for all teams across the tournament, but it also opens the door for a higher rate of injuries.

The video was filmed at Senegal’s pre-game training ahead of a friendly against the US in North Carolina at the Bank of America Stadium. That venue is not being used as a host location for the World Cup, meaning it may not necessarily be a reflection of what fans should expect at this year’s tournament.

Still, the sight of the lack of bounce has triggered alarm.

Thousands of dollars to attend the World Cup

It is no surprise that attending a FIFA World Cup would not be cheap for any travelling fan, but the ticket prices for this year’s tournament have turned heads.

For an Australian fan travelling to the States to watch the Socceroos, the lowest price (category three) for a group stage match against Paraguay and Turkey is $209.69 AUD. Category two seats are $569.89 while category one is $674.87.

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FIFA has been hit by mass criticism over the pricing of the event, with English football fans set to pay up to $10,505 to watch their team in a category three ticket zone in every match through to the final, that is if they get that far.

In comparison, it only cost $3,000 for fans to follow their team through to the final at the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.

On top of the pressure to lower prices, the UK Telegraph revealed that FIFA had been accused of using unofficial resale sites to cut the prices of games that are deemed to be in low-demand for tickets.

FIFA has also been accused of misleading supporters about where they will be seated in stadiums across several games in the tournament.

Tensions simmer over allocated pride match

Egypt and Iran have lodged formal complaints to the sport’s governing body after learning they had been allocated to play in the tournament’s pride match.

The two nations have strict laws and severe penalties for those in the LGBTQIA+ community, with members of their organisations citing that the designated celebration on June 27 (AEST) contradicts with their “cultural, religious and social values”.

It should be noted that the match was allocated to the city of Seattle prior to the draw being made, although it was clear once unveiled that issues would arise.

FIFA has yet to confirm if the pride match will go ahead, despite the complaints from Egypt, Iran and local stakeholders in Seattle.

But many have recognised that FIFA did have the opportunity to avoid conflict with this game and allocate New Zealand and Belgium, the two other nations in Group G, to play in that time slot on the same day. Event organisers opted to host their game in Vancouver instead.

Mandatory water breaks and lengthy delays

Hosting a major football tournament in the middle of summer was always going to turn heads, with fears about the impact that the weather would have on the games.

Players have come to accept that they will be playing in high temperatures and could be forced to sit through lengthy delays in the event of thunderstorms.

FIFA was aware that these risks could impact the World Cup, having used the Club World Cup last year as a test run of sorts for the pinnacle football tournament.

It was after that tournament that mandatory water breaks were introduced, with players now set to rehydrate for a 20-minute period throughout every match.

The timing of the hydration breaks received mixed reaction as some football pundits suggested they were merely to break the game up for commercial reasons.

As for thunderstorms, FIFA’s policy is that if any lightning is recorded within a 13-kilometre radius of the match venue, the game will be delayed for 30 minutes.

Immigration crackdown sparks safety concerns

The safety of fans, players and the media has been raised by rights groups in recent months amid concerns over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Rights groups have accused FIFA of allowing a “distinctively dangerous climate of fear” to be present at this year’s World Cup, with possible ICE enforcement worrying those attending matches.

Critics have blamed Gianni Infantino’s relationship with Trump as the reason for the “dangerous climate”, with the FIFA boss notably awarding the US President a peace prize.

The award received mixed reactions from the football world, with alarm raised by fans about Infantino’s praise of Trump before the ceremony in December.

“This is what we want from a leader ... you can always count, Mr President, on my support,” Infantino said.

But the Sport and Rights Alliance said that FIFA has not adequately addressed potential human rights threats with the massive sporting spectacle.

“FIFA’s weak response to the human rights threats documented by local groups and global civil society organisations means that we are witnessing a distinctively dangerous climate of fear, uncertainty, and repression,” said Andrea Florence, the executive director for the coalition of rights groups.

“President Donald Trump’s harsh anti-human rights rhetoric, aggressive immigration policies, and mass deportation raids have already cast a dark shadow over the world’s biggest sporting event.”

Fans are not the only ones being impacted by the immigration crackdown, with several players also struggling to get their visas sorted due to US travel bans.

Switzerland striker Breel Embolo has been forced to apply for an urgent visa after he was blocked from boarding a flight to the US due to past criminal convictions relating to an altercation he had in 2018. He was handed a suspended fine for the matter.

South Africa’s national team was also delayed at the airport due to visa issues.

Elsewhere, Iran have been forced to relocate their home base for the tournament to Mexico amid ongoing conflict between the nation and the US.

FIFA cops $25m lawsuit from US artist

The artist who painted a giant mural on a building in downtown Dallas of life-sized swimming whales has filed a $25 million lawsuit against soccer’s international governing body and others, saying they illegally painted over his work to promote the city’s upcoming World Cup matches.

The artist Wyland says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 17,000 square feet (1,580 square meters) across two of the building’s walls.

The mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month, causing an uproar among residents who admired the mural’s grand scale and message of ocean conservation.

The area’s World Cup organising committee said in a statement that, in place of Wyland’s mural, new artwork is planned “that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026.” It said a portion of Wyland’s mural would be preserved.

Wyland filed suit Monday in US District Court in Dallas saying that World Cup organisers, along with the building’s owner and management company, painted over his mural without his consent or even notifying him. He says their actions violated a 1990 federal law passed to protect visual artists from destruction of publicly displayed works.

Wyland is seeking at least $25 million in damages. His lawsuit says world football’s governing body, FIFA, and other defendants “hastily and irrevocably destroyed a civic landmark” to promote the World Cup.

“Though FIFA claims they were working to develop art for the host city, in truth, they defaced an historic fixture of the host city,” the artist’s lawsuit says.

A FIFA spokesperson said Tuesday the federation “has no involvement in this whatsoever”.

Ebola impacts Congo’s World Cup quest

Congo’s journey to the World Cup has been impacted by an Ebola crisis, with the team’s warm-up matches against Chile cancelled due to health concerns.

The municipality of La Linea de la Concepcion, the location of the World Cup warm-up match between Chile and Congo in Spain, blocked the match from taking place in the city due to the health advice given to him by regional health services.

The World Health Organisation declared a public health emergency of international concern following reports of an outbreak of a rare stream of the Ebola virus in the Congo and Uganda.

The match was set to take place on June 10 (AEST) but the Ebola outbreak complicated matters.

Congo’s national team had already cancelled a three-day World Cup training camp in their country before the Spanish municipality cancelled their friendly match.

It should be noted, however, that all of Congo’s players and their coach are based outside of the central African nation, with most of them currently located in France.

FIFA has been in talks with Congo to ensure the team takes all the necessary health advice leading up to and during the World Cup.