The FIFA World Cup 2026 has finally arrived. The tournament kicks off on Thursday in Mexico City, where Mexico will face South Africa in the opening match. Featuring an expanded roster of 48 teams and a record-breaking 104 matches over 39 days, the global event, which will unfold across an unprecedented three host nations — Canada, Mexico and the United States — is the largest ever.

Embodying the spirit of excellence and mutual respect, the World Cup traditionally provides a rare moment when political, cultural and ethnic differences give way to a shared passion for the beautiful game. Yet this year's tournament has kicked off with a seemingly chaotic buildup, limiting its potential to become a huge worldwide celebration that transcends sports due to political disruption as well as other factors such as over-commercialization.

Just days before Iran starts its first game, on Monday in Los Angeles against New Zealand, the country's soccer federation said in a statement that it was unable to provide any tickets as previously promised to its supporters because FIFA had revoked the ticket allocation, presumably under pressure from the US, "which has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums".

This adds to the woes the Iranian national team has experienced leading up to the World Cup: Several senior federation officials and support staff members have been denied visas, and Iranian players are only permitted to enter the US on the exact day of their matches, and are required to leave immediately after the final whistle blows, leaving them exhausted and with almost no time to practice and familiarize themselves with the playing conditions, unlike other teams.

This obviously contradicts the principles of fair competition and the common understanding that any country bidding to host the World Cup must ensure access for all qualified teams, including their supporters and officials. "Otherwise, there is no World Cup," FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated nine years ago.

Apart from the Iranians, award-winning World Cup referee Omar Artan from Somalia was also denied entry due to unspecified vetting concerns, while Iraqi player Aymen Hussein was allegedly held for questioning for nearly seven hours after arriving in the US. "The disruption is such that one has to ask who is running the World Cup. Is it FIFA or is it the US government ... ?" Piara Powar, the head of FIFA's antidiscrimination monitoring partner, said on Tuesday.

FIFA's decision to hold the tournament in three countries, under the slogan "United as One", was based on the idea that a larger pool of participating teams will lead to increased profits from the sale of television, marketing and licensing rights.

FIFA's most recent financial report showed it will make $13 billion from the four-year cycle culminating in the 2026 World Cup, almost $9 billion of which will be from this year, according to The Guardian. In comparison, FIFA raked in $7.5 billion in revenue through the four years of commercial deals tied to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and $6.4 billion for the cycle leading up to the 2018 Russia World Cup.

However, what the soccer's governing body has failed to pay attention to in terms of geographical knowledge is that the three countries cover three time zones, each with its own customs, security protocols and bureaucratic structures. This presents significant challenges for teams in arranging their schedules. Some teams, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, will have to travel more than 5,000 kilometers during the group stage alone, making it one of the most taxing tournaments. All this, coupled with a lack of top-level coordination, makes the unfolding scenes seem inevitable.

The fact that the China Media Group ultimately paid around $60 million for the broadcasting rights to the World Cup — far below the $300 million that FIFA initially asked for — highlights how capricious FIFA's pricing strategy can be, prioritizing maximum revenue over a country's enthusiasm and circumstances.

Despite being a country with a population of 1.4 billion, China's national team has once again failed to qualify for the World Cup. This has led to renewed calls for reform of the soccer system in the country, focusing on the grassroots and youth training. Encouragingly, more children are taking to soccer pitches, offering hope for the sport's future in China.

The World Cup presents a rare opportunity for China to reflect on the challenges facing its soccer and to draft a practical and sustainable strategy for the future. Meanwhile, as the tournament progresses, soccer fans around the world will hopefully underscore the sport's potential to bridge divides and unite people, fostering understanding and goodwill among people of all nations.