ICE, Iran and $1,000 ‘Cheap Seats’: The World Cup Returns to the U.S.
6/8/202653 min
When FIFA picked the U.S. to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, Americans saw it as more than just a boon for the country’s tourism industry — it was a chance to finally prove to the world that the U.S. is a soccer-loving nation. But on the eve of kickoff, the tournament has been overshadowed by exorbitant ticket prices, disappointing global travel projections, the war in Iran, and uncertainty about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement plans at stadiums. Kara breaks it all down with three experts: Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter for The Wall Street Journal; Will Leitch, a contributing editor at New York Magazine and the founder of the seminal sports blog Deadspin; and Tariq Panja, a global correspondent at The New York Times who focuses on where money, geopolitics and crime intersect with sports. The four of them talk about the stakes for FIFA’s biggest World Cup and whether the soccer on the field can outshine the controversies surrounding it. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTariq Panja· Guest0:00
Just step out of your home, go into the streets, and enjoy this thing. Because nothing like the World Cup brings people from all over, whether it's within the United States and the incredible diaspora you've got there, or the fans who, who will be traveling there. When they get together, this is a, a magical thing.
Speaker 20:21
It's on. [upbeat music] It is on.
Kara Swisher· Host0:33
Hi, everyone, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher. The US is just days away from hosting the equivalent of 78 Super Bowls in the span of a month. I'm talking, of course, about the FIFA World Cup. The US is co-hosting alongside Mexico and Canada. It's the world's largest sporting event, and this year's is the biggest in history with 48 teams playing more than 100 games across three countries. It's also arguably the most controversial. That's saying a lot given FIFA's reputation for corruption and scandal. Exorbitant ticket prices, the war in Iran, and fears of immigration sweeps are so far getting more attention than the upcoming games. And President Trump, the winner of FIFA's cynical Peace Prize, is all but guaranteed to insert politics into the picture. I've got three experts here to talk about the drama around this year's World Cup. Rachel Bachman is a senior sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, where she's been