World Cup starts this Thursday with an unprecedented format, amid war and Trump's anti-immigration policy

Drone image of the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City, on the eve of the opening of the 2026 World Cup
Luis Cortes/Reuters
The 2026 World Cup begins this Thursday (11), as soon as the ball rolls for Mexico x South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City. The competition begins marked by the unprecedented format and the geopolitical issues that have infiltrated the sport through the war and the agenda of US President Donald Trump.
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Even with venues in Mexico and Canada, it is the USA that will host most of the games - 78 out of a total of 104.
In this World Cup, the tournament debuts a new format, with 48 teams, instead of the 32 of the old model, in force between 1998 and 2022.
In the group stage, the teams are divided into 12 groups of four members. They play against each other, and the top two in each group advance, along with the eight best third-placed teams.
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From there, the 32 classifieds move on to the knockout stage - which will have one more round than previous World Cups.
Also for the first time, the World Cup will have three host countries. The competition was already distributed between two nations in 2002, with Japan and South Korea hosting the games.
Of the 16 stadiums where the matches will be held, three are in Mexico (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey), and two in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto).
USA x Iran
The USA, with 11 host cities, will be the main hosts of the tournament. All knockout games, with the exception of one to be played in Azteca, will take place on American fields.
This protagonism is also a source of tensions that are already strong even before the first touch of the ball.
Players of the Iranian football team wear the '#168' brooch, in reference to victims of the US attack on the school in Minab, during landing in Tijuana, Mexico, for the World Cup on June 7, 2026.
Disclosure/Iranian team
The World Cup takes place amid the resumption of aggression between the USA and Iran, which resurrects the war started in February by the Americans and Israel.
Even with a ceasefire set up in April, the conflict had an impact on sport: Iran, qualified for the competition, will play all of its group stage games in the USA.
The Trump administration's relationship with the Iranian delegation is one of undisguised hostility. The team was supposed to be staying in Tucson, Arizona, but changed its plans and settled in Tijuana, Mexico, after the USA said it would not allow players and committees to stay overnight in its territory during the event.
In addition, many members of the committee were denied visas, and the players had American visas approved only last week.
The restrictions also affected the country's fans. On Tuesday (9), two days before the start of the tournament, the USA announced the withdrawal of the 8% quota of tickets per match allocated to Iranians in their national team's games.
Barred
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been selected to officiate matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but was prevented from entering the United States, was welcomed upon arrival at Aden Abdulle Osman International Airport, in Mogadishu, Somalia, on June 10, 2026.
REUTERS/Feisal Omar
But the Iranian team is not the only one to feel the effects of Trump's policies. The Republican government has bet on a strong anti-immigration agenda, which has affected other competitors.
Iraqi attacker Aymen Hussein was detained and interrogated for seven hours shortly after landing in Chicago. The official photographer of the Iraqi delegation had the contents of his cell phone checked and his entry into the USA was denied.
The case most commented on by the international press, however, was that of the Somali referee Omar Artan.
Considered the best on the continent, and having officiated the final of the African Champions League, Artan, selected by FIFA for the World Cup, was denied entry at Miami airport and was forced to return to Somalia.
The Somali community is a Trump's constant target for his anti-immigration rhetoric. The Republican often calls them derogatory terms, such as "fourth world country".
The Somali community in Minneapolis was the main target of ICE, the US immigration service, in a major operation in the city that ended with the deaths of two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Peretti.
FIFA, in turn, has avoided entering into direct confrontation with the American government.
"It is regrettable what happened to Omar (Artan), the referee of Somalia", said the president of entity, Gianni Infantino, this Wednesday (10). "But again, we don't control everything. (...) We are working behind the scenes, trying to understand the situation."

Source: G1