By Ben Emos | Wednesday June 16 2026 | 5 min read

The World Cup opened this week with a burst of spectacle across three nations. Mexico rolled out Shakira and Salma Hayek. Canada leaned into Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette. And the United States — in a choice that still defies explanation — unveiled Katy Perry dressed like a lampshade. It was a reminder that America, for all its contradictions, still knows how to put on a show. And visitors have been delighting in the country’s quirks: a Swede discovering ranch dressing like it’s a controlled substance, a German marveling at Buc‑ee’s as if he’d stumbled into a Texan fever dream, Scottish fans sending a bagpiper down Boston’s infamous police slide. It’s been chaotic, charming, and deeply American.

But not everyone has been able to enjoy the fun. Fans from more than a quarter of the participating nations have run into travel bans, visa denials, or hours‑long detentions. When asked about it, Trump brushed the issue aside with a line that said the quiet part out loud: “We’re working to make sure the right people come in.” The “right people.” As if the World Cup were a gated community and he were the one checking IDs at the door.

Players haven’t been spared either. Iraq’s star striker was detained for nearly seven hours. Iran’s national team had to move its training camp to Mexico. A referee from Somalia was reportedly denied entry and sent home. When a reporter pressed Andrew Giuliani — the head of the White House’s World Cup task force — on the obvious pattern, he responded with a mix of denial and deflection. First he insisted the premise was false. Then, seconds later, he understood the question perfectly and fled the conversation. It was a performance that would’ve been funny if it weren’t so revealing.

And into this mess stepped Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, a man who has spent years cultivating a strangely eager closeness with Trump. Infantino has made more appearances in the Oval Office than most world leaders. He opened a FIFA office in Trump Tower, funneling rent into the Trump family business. He even staged the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center so he could hand Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize — complete with a medal he encouraged Trump to “wear everywhere you want to go.” It was the kind of moment that makes you wonder whether Infantino sees himself as the head of a global sport or the world’s most enthusiastic concierge.

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So when a reporter confronted Infantino this week about the visa chaos — about referees turned away, players detained, fans blocked from attending the tournament they love — his response was infuriating. “Chill. Relax. We work on everything.” As if people being detained for hours were simply overreacting. As if a Somalian referee being accused of terror links at the airport were a minor inconvenience. When pressed again, Infantino doubled down: “Trust us.”

Trust FIFA. From an organization with a corruption history so thick it could be taught as a college course.

Infantino’s problem isn’t just that he refuses to confront Trump’s policies. It’s that he has spent years flattering him, normalizing him, and tying FIFA’s credibility to a man whose decisions are now actively harming the very people the tournament is supposed to welcome. Infantino wanted proximity to power. He wanted the photo ops, the medals, the Oval Office visits. And now, when that same power is shutting out players, referees, and fans, he has nothing to offer but “chill.”

The truth is simple: the World Cup is supposed to be a celebration of global unity. Instead, it has become another stage for political gatekeeping. And Infantino, through his own choices, helped build that stage. At some point, even he will have to reckon with the fact that pandering to Trump didn’t buy him influence — it bought him responsibility. And he’s failing it.

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