Particle Data Platform
Full Story

The politics and profit of a World Cup in Trump’s America

6/10/202623 min

Kick-off is just hours away in what is already shaping up to be one of the most controversial and complex Fifa World Cups as geopolitical disputes and allegations of corporate greed cast a shadow over the tournament. Football journalist Samantha Lewis speaks to Nour Haydar about why she is more nervous than ever on the eve of the cup about the impact the many problems could have on the world’s most-watched sporting event

Clips

Bombing Player Country
Infantino-Trump Alliance
Two-Million-Dollar Ticket
Referee Denied Entry
World Cup Breaking Point

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Noor Haidar· Host0:00

    [upbeat music] This is The Guardian. I'm Noor Haidar, coming to you from Gadigal Land. [upbeat music] And this is The Full Story.

  2. Speaker 2· Soundbite0:12

    Millions of football fans will travel to Canada, the US, and Mexico over the next six weeks to catch more than 100 games, the biggest sports tournament in the world.

  3. Speaker 3· Soundbite0:23

    [upbeat music] Quite a lot of people I've been talking to and getting messages from who've been spotting stuff about the World Cup, so much of that content is about the politics rather than the sport itself.

  4. Noor Haidar· Host0:31

    [upbeat music] The 2026 FIFA World Cup is about to get underway. It'll be the biggest and most expensive yet, with matches across the US, Canada, and Mexico. [upbeat music] But in Trump's America, geopolitics, visa chaos, and corporate greed are casting a shadow over the tournament.

  5. Speaker 4· Soundbite0:57

    You knew he was going to inject himself right into the middle of this, and with Donald Trump comes all of the divisiveness, all of the politics, all, uh, of the chaos.

  6. Speaker 3· Soundbite1:08

    Talking about where there could be flashpoints, if there's any gun violence, if there are any issues around ICE and immigration raids and that sort of thing.

  7. Speaker 5· Soundbite1:15

    Iran's football team is in Mexico to participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, as US-Iran tensions continue to cast a big shadow over its participation in the mega sports event.

  8. Noor Haidar· Host1:25

    [upbeat music] Today, journalist Samantha Lewis

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click "Accept All" to consent, or "Decline non-essential" to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.