The 2026 World Cup began with Mexico facing South Africa in the opening game on Thursday night, but the real drama was unfolding off the pitch. The tournament’s three co-hosts – the US, Canada and Mexico – are in the midst of an epic trade war, while the main host is at war with a participant whose team must commute in from another country for match days.
Donald Trump, who returned to the White House last year, is “extremely focused” on the tournament, according to BBC economics editor Faisal Islam. The US president has already controversially accepted a Peace Prize from FIFA before initiating the war with Iran – a move that has triggered a significant global energy and economic shock. As the minutes ticked down to kick-off, Trump appeared to call off new air strikes and seemingly promised that a deal to end the war was close at hand, hours after vowing to hit Iran “very hard”.
“World Cup 2026 opens with Mexico vs South Africa as trade war, US-Iran hostilities and £77 train tickets define the tournament.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has previously called for ceasefires during World Cups. If the tournament helps de-escalate the conflict, there could be a material impact on energy prices and the world economy. But even as geopolitics swirls, fans are facing a different kind of shock. The New Jersey Transit train ticket, normally $12.90 (£10) return, has been hiked to $100 (£77) for the tournament. “Football is nothing without the fans,” the late Scotland manager Jock Stein once said, but some supporters at this World Cup are forking out previously unheard-of amounts for what may turn out to be dead rubber games.
The problems extend beyond price-gouging. Iranian fans have been denied tickets, and a Somali referee was denied entry to the US. All 104 games across five weeks are available on free-to-air TV in the UK, with BBC and ITV splitting coverage – England’s group match against Croatia will air on ITV at 9pm BST. But whether the world’s biggest sporting event can actually influence the world’s major economic conflicts remains an open question.