SerpApi.Org
By most metrics, the 2026 FIFA World Cup was a resounding success and while there were issues ranging from logistical to political, the tournament will undoubtedly be remembered by the vast majority of people as one of the best international events ever - let alone soccer tournaments.
But for Richard Jolly of The Independent, the issues that did face the World Cup this summer were so egregious that it should apparently disqualify the United States from future World Cup hosting privileges.
In a column, Jolly argued that the combination of "the moral, the financial and the logistical" should disqualify the U.S. from future World Cups.
Jolly argued that the treatment of the Iranian team combined with the highly controversial overturning of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun's red card serves to represent "one of the lowest points in Fifa’s history: governmental interference and political pressure, rather than sporting merit, meant the supposed principles of fair play were abandoned."
Jolly further argued that the United States did way too much to rip off visiting fans through ticket and parking prices.
"A memory is of being a mile or two from the stadium in Foxborough and seeing car-parking spots in yards being advertised for $150 and then $200; that rip-off culture needs to be addressed, not encouraged," Jolly wrote.
Jolly also took issue with the general logistics of traveling during the tournament.
"The choice of them, and the schedule, showed a lack of consideration. Germany played three group games in Houston, Toronto and New York. Austria went from San Francisco to Dallas to Kansas City. Too few host cities were near each other.
"Too few grounds were actually in the cities. Many of the stadia impressed; the locations did not. The aversion to public transport in swathes of the United States rendered some still more unsuitable. Boston was a perfect host city in every respect bar one: the ground was nowhere near Boston...
"Priority should have been given to accessible stadia. There were arguably only three near enough to city centres in the United States in this World Cup: Seattle, Atlanta and Philadelphia (Toronto was a Canadian example that worked well)."
Ultimately, Jolly recognized that none of those things matter because FIFA doesn't care and won't care.
