The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been according to critics one of the most corrupt in recent memory and had several controversies which made the headlines overshadowing many of the players and teams accomplishments.
Corruption and Controversy at the FIFA World Cup
For that reason, I will begin by pointing to something positive that the 2026 world cup has brought us A record Canadian Men’s National Team season. They made it to the round of 16 for the first time and we appreciate each of the players who got them that far. Perhaps they would’ve made it even farther if they received the same favoritism as some of these other teams.
Donald Trump Overturns a Red Card
In the round of 32 match between Bosnia and the United States on Wednesday July 1st, US Men’s National Team player, Folarin Balogun, received a controversial red card.
The call which came at the 63rd minute of the match, shortly after Balogun had scored the opening goal, ultimately didn’t impact the match which ended with the United States winning 2-0 and advancing to the next round. But according to FIFA rules, a red card would require Balogun to sit out in the round of 16 match vs Belgium, when he would be sorely missed.
That night, after the match concluded, President of the United States Donald Trump called up FIFA President Gianni Infantino. We couldn’t confirm the exact details of the call but what we do know is that he asked for the red card to be overturned. It’s likely he repeated the threats he made against FIFA online:
When I saw the play, in which Balogun stepped on another player’s ankle, I didn’t think it was a red card either, but the referee seemingly did, that’s the end of discussion. The only time a red card was ever overturned in the World Cup was in 1962, when the referee Estaban Marino made a controversial call against the player Garrincha, then fled the country before it could be investigated.
Infantino decided to overturn the red card call against Balogun allowing him to play on Monday July 6, but it ultimately didn’t matter. Possibly spurred on by the news of this collusion, the Belgians easily eliminated the US in a 4-1 defeat.
So why did Infantino make this decision?
His loyalty to Trump is well established. On top of including the US as a host country this year, Infantino created a new reward just to give the American president, a consolation for not being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize. On December 5, 2025, Infantino presented Donald Trump with the first of its kind FIFA Peace Medal.
This is despite FIFA players and referees being harassed by American Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), and in some cases even detained. Still FIFA favors Trump.
Corruption has existed in sports, and particularly in the FIFA world for a long time, but this time, they didn’t even try to hide it. This is by far the most blatant example in recent memory.
Argentina Faces Cheating Accusations
This World Cup, countless controversial goals have been reversed after the fact due to off-sides and fouls that nobody, including the referees saw in real time. Both critics and even long-time fans of Argentina have noticed a disturbing trend—- the calls always seem to benefit Argentina.
In their round of 16 game vs Egypt at the 59th minute, Mostafa Ziko shot and scored to put Egypt up 2-0. It was overturned for a foul that happened 20 seconds prior and over 100 yards away. This hugely impacted the games momentum and Egyptian morale, and as a result Lionel Messi led Argentina to defeating them 3-2.
But it doesn’t stop there, reviews of the broadcast footage proved that Argentina were systematically allowed to play more aggressive in normal. They immediately abused this privilege when Argentine defender Nahuel Molina smacked Egypt’s Emam Ashour, with no attention from the ref.
Moments later, the referees also waved off a blatant trip from behind against Egypt’s team captain, Mohamed Salah. It was found that statistically Argentina only received one yellow card for every 19.7 fouls committed, more than any other team.
A few days after these controversies first broke, explosive new accusations changed everything…
The Argentine Men’s National Team was hacked and sports journalists received emails saying that the team’s recent victory was the result of “corrupt refereeing decisions”.
And this isn’t just all circumstantial evidence or conspiracy theory. Even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is taking a serious look into the Argentinian team
In particular the FBI is investigating possible fraud or money laundering related to a massive $260 million offshore investment from a Miami firm tied to the team. While the FBI has not issued any charges, they noted some unusual patterns in the payments.
Mbappé Embraces his ‘Dictator’ Persona
Due to influence on the clubs he is in, and on the field, and his unwillingness to stand down, fans and critics alike have begun labeling France’s star wing Kylian Mbappé The Dictator. Many have even begun calling his right hand man Ousmane Dembél, The General.
Some say this as a term of endearment, some as a critique and most as a joke, but Mbappé and other members of the France Men’s National Team have embraced the fun.
The online meme below shows an image of Mbappé edited to be wearing the uniform of the dictator:
In a recent example of this, he had a showdown against a Paraguay Senator, Celeste Amarilla, who attacked Mbappé with a series of controversial remarks following Paraguay’s 1-0 defeat to France on the 4th of July.
In her native language of Spanish, she reportedly called him a “brute” and a “son of a bitch”. She also implied that while Mbappè growing up “the most educated thing he heard were chimpanzees”, in addition to other racially motivated remarks.
Living up to his dictator persona, there was no way Kylian Mbappé could let these insults go unanswered. He quickly retaliated by calling Amarilla a “despicable woman” and argued that her words only diminished her team’s success to even get to that point.
Mbappé has also engaged in the marketplace of the ideas before to challenge conservative figures in his own country as well. Notably he had public disagreements with Marine Le Pen in the past.
It would surprise almost no one if he entered politics after his sports career comes to an end. Racism, cheating, political corruption, all of these have been showcased in the FIFA 2026 World Cup so far and we haven’t even reached the final matchup. If Canada had been benefited in this way perhaps they would’ve made it even farther. But it seems, you only make it as far as Infantino wants you to in this championship and league. It goes all the way to the top. Entertainment is all about money and money corrupts— both the people and the process.
Just something to think about before making the equivalent of a down payment on finals tickets.
