Although no major policy decisions are pending at the FIFA Congress to be held in Asuncion on Thursday, the meeting still stands to cast a shadow over the future of the beautiful game.
This is mainly due to FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s keenness to curry favor with the powers-that-be in the countries set to host the next two – particularly with of the United States, primary host of the 2026 tournament. Also to be discussed is a possible further expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams.
What decisions are to be made at the FIFA Congress?
Look at the agenda for the meeting and you will find that the answer is none – at least none of any real consequence. In addition to annual and financial reports and the approval of the annual budget for 2025, only FIFA committees such as the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee are to be elected for a fresh term. No major surprises or controversies are expected here.
Are there any controversial issues at all?
Like the situation before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there is criticism of the human rights situation in . Human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and FairSquare warn of risks for migrant workers on construction sites for the .
They report numerous deaths from preventable accidents and criticize the Saudi government for inadequate protection and compensation. Despite planned FIFA standards, there are currently no concrete measures to prevent and investigate such incidents. Amnesty International also highlights what it terms the extreme exploitation of foreign workers.
However, it is unlikely that FIFA members or even their president will address this issue in Paraguay. Infantino consistently rejected criticism of working conditions on World Cup construction sites in , instead emphasizing progress achieved because the country was awarded the hosting rights. He even relocated to Qatar at the time. Infantino also maintains close contact with ‘s heir to the throne and prime minister, Mohammed bin Salman.
What about the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico?
Infantino’s relationship with US President Trump is by their accounts, close. The Swiss native even speaks of a “close friendship” with the American president. Infantino met with Trump 10 times since December and was a guest at his inauguration in January. In the days leading up to the Congress, he traveled to Saudi Arabia at the same time as Trump – instead of arriving in Asuncion a few days ahead of it, as other FIFA members have done.
The USA is set to host two major FIFA tournaments in a row, with the Club World Cup this summer and the World Cup next summer. The US president is expected to use both events to present himself in the best possible light. However, he and seem concerned about the large number of foreign guests expected to visit the country.
“Of course, everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event,” Vance said recently. “But, when the time is up, they’ll have to go home.”
The extent to which the Trump administration’s strict border policy will deter fans from Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America from traveling to the United States remains to be seen. Recently, there have been alarming examples of German and other tourists who were initially interrogated upon entry and then even detained for some time for no apparent reason.
How will border and customs officials deal with World Cup fans in 2026 who travel from Iran to support their team? Or from Latin American countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, where most illegal immigrants to the United States originate?
FIFA is certainly not interested in an escalation with numerous rejections or detentions of football fans. Whether it will seek to influence Trump accordingly – or succeed in doing so remains to be seen.
Will the World Cup grow to 64 teams?
A proposal to further expand the World Cup tournament, which will include 48 teams in 2026 instead of the previous 32, has been proposed. It was put forward by the association of Uruguay, one of the 2030 World Cup hosts. The South Americans would like to play with 64 teams. Some other FIFA members see the expansion as an opportunity to include more countries and increase football’s global reach.
But there are also critical voices, primarily from Europe, Asia, and North America who argue that such a large event is too complex and difficult to organize. They also argued that expanding the number of participants diminishes its sporting value.
“We will not support this proposal because I am deeply convinced that we would be doing the tournament a disservice,” said .
Nevertheless, the proposal remains on the table.
“The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyse (sic) any proposal from one of its Council members,” a FIFA statement said.
Gianni Infantino has not yet commented on the matter, but the bloated Club World Cup with 32 teams and the fact that the Women’s World Cup was increased to 48 teams at the last FIFA Council meeting, may give some indication of where he stands.
The post FIFA Congress: Infantino, Trump and Saudi Arabia appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
