The World Cup is on the agenda this year not just for the competition on the pitch but for the growing political debate surrounding it. The decision to award the tournament to three host nations, ticket prices, security concerns, boycott calls, and accusations of discrimination have broadened the discussion around football.
European Parliament members Rasmus Andresen and Lukas Mandl assessed this heightened politicisation of football from different perspectives. At the heart of the debate was the question of whether the World Cup is still just a sporting event.
Three host nations and a growing controversy
This year's tournament is being held for the first time across three co-hosts: Canada, Mexico, and the US. The event, featuring 48 teams and over 1,200 players, is also attracting attention for its sheer scale.
But the discussion went beyond the format. Transport, security, migration, racism, and the political climate shaped around Donald Trump in the US were among the themes overshadowing the tournament.
Rising ticket prices in particular have led many fans to rethink plans to attend matches in North America. This has reinforced the question of whether the tournament is a fan-centred celebration of sport or an investment-driven mega-event.
Mandl: Football brings the world together for a few weeks
Mandl argued that the World Cup is an event to be celebrated despite its problems. He said that football brings people together for a few weeks around a sense of family, stressing that unnecessarily politicising the tournament or confining it to an elitist framework would be unhelpful.
Mandl's approach aligned with a previous assessment by FIFA President Gianni Infantino at a summit of European football in Brussels. Infantino said that in a divided world, moments that bring people together are needed, and that the World Cup would be a prime example of that.
Infantino also highlighted the importance, for billions of people, of 90-minute matches where they can briefly forget their problems.
Andresen: The fan must remain at the centre of the game
Andresen took a more critical line. He said football must not become a playground for investors and pricing algorithms.
According to Andresen, the exclusion of fans from the stands and the treatment of clubs as mere assets in global ownership networks is eroding the sport's social and solidary value. He therefore called for stronger ownership rules, transparency, and oversight of ticket pricing.
Andresen also argued that Europe can no longer stand on the sidelines on this issue. In his view, football must be protected as a public good, not just as a profit-generating industry.
Eyes on the coming weeks
The debate is expected to intensify in the coming weeks. Whether the World Cup can refocus global attention on football or remains overshadowed by political arguments will be decisive for the tournament's course.
On one side sits the expectation of a unifying celebration of sport; on the other, intensifying criticism over prices, security, and discrimination. The tournament has therefore reopened a debate not only about who will lift the trophy, but about what social role football will play in the future.
