Spike Lee put his Knicks-viewing schedule on hold long enough to attend Brazil’s training session in New Jersey on Thursday, declaring: “I want Brazil to win.” The filmmaker, a noted basketball fan, made clear his priorities were not entirely swayed by the Seleção. “I’m here just for the practice,” he said. “I have a game to see tonight.”
Off-pitch controversies cast a shadow over kick-off
As the tournament prepares to open at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, authorities across host nations are grappling with security and political tensions. The mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc, announced a curfew for minors under 16 during “high risk” World Cup matches. The measure, in force from 10pm to 5am in a central area of the southwestern French city, applies to matches involving France, as well as games between Morocco and Brazil, Scotland and Morocco, Haiti and Morocco, and Tunisia and the Netherlands. Moudenc told a press briefing that the matches were selected with the prefecture because they were considered high-risk, adding that he intended to “protect citizens and minors” amid a rise in juvenile delinquency in France’s fourth-largest city.
In Mexico City, hundreds of protesters gathered near the stadium on Wednesday night. Most were family members or relatives of “disappeared people” alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs, according to AFP. Police set up a one-mile security perimeter but said peaceful protests would be allowed. Maria de Jesus Soria Aguayo, who has been searching for her son for a decade, told AFP that President Claudia Sheinbaum “only cares about her soccer.” The demonstrators chanted slogans and placed colourful cempasuchil flowers – used in offerings to the dead – in the shape of a cross on the pavement.
Visa barriers leave Côte d’Ivoire fans grounded
The bureaucratic obstacles facing travelling supporters have been thrown into sharp relief by the experience of Côte d’Ivoire’s home-based fans. Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of the National Committee of Elephants Supporters (CNSE), which operates under the country’s Ministry of Sport, told AFP that supporters had been denied visas to the United States. “The supporters have cancelled the trip because the US government does not want to see supporters from certain countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, on its soil,” Kouadio said. “The United States has been clear with us, saying they do not want to see our supporters. This situation hurts us deeply because it prevents us from fulfilling our sacred duty, which is to support our team.”
The CNSE organises trips for the country’s small number of travelling fans, and the denial of visas has scuppered their plans entirely. The news echoes broader complaints about entry restrictions that have marred the build-up. A reader in the Guardian’s live blog highlighted a litany of grievances: “Fans have been denied visas, Iraqi striker Aymen was detained for 7 hours, Somalian referee Artan was sent back, Iran is being harassed in every possible way.”
Geopolitical friction and FIFA infighting
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has attracted fierce criticism ahead of the tournament. One commentator described him as “wretched” and “an absolute nothing of a man, sucking up to tyrants because he thinks it makes him look strong”. Another argued that by repeating the phrase “football unites the world”, Infantino implicitly excludes groups such as “the jailed dissidents of Russia and the nameless migrant workers of Qatar” as well as “the imagined enemies of the Trump White House”. Infantino’s call for people to “chill” in the face of mounting injustices was met with derision.
The tournament’s geopolitical dimensions are impossible to ignore. Seven games, including Scotland versus Brazil, will be held in Miami, little more than 200 miles from the north coast of Cuba. The Scottish Football Association expects 20,000 fans to travel there. Eight nations, including England and Scotland, have training camps in Florida. The first game scheduled in Miami – Uruguay versus Saudi Arabia – will take place on 15 June, with tens of thousands of fans due to fly in.
New York City, meanwhile, has sought to honour the game’s history by temporarily renaming streets after Pelé and Thierry Henry. West 50th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan became “Thierry Henry Way”, with the former Arsenal and Barcelona star appearing via video call. The intersection of Shea Road and Meridian Road in Queens was renamed after Brazilian legend Pelé. The street names will remain in place until 1 November, according to AFP.
ITV has described the World Cup as its most lucrative sports event ever, dubbing the expanded 104-match tournament a “six-week summer Super Bowl moment” for advertising. The broadcaster is airing 51 of the matches.
England camp upbeat after Costa Rica cruise
Thomas Tuchel sounded a confident note after England’s 3-0 friendly victory over Costa Rica. Jude Bellingham shone in the No.10 role behind Harry Kane, and Tuchel acknowledged the Real Madrid man had probably done enough to start over Morgan Rogers in the tournament opener against Croatia. “Tonight makes my mind very calm as we’re absolutely on the right way,” Tuchel told ITV. He added that the quality of substitutes was “frightening”.
Declan Rice, meanwhile, revealed he had received a ticking-off from his mother over sunburn. “My mum was killing me!” he said, explaining the challenge of adjusting to the 30-degree heat. Rice described himself as “good as gold” physically and said winning the Premier League with Arsenal had given him “a sense of confidence and a spring in my step”. He praised the squad depth, noting the attacking options off the bench including Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins.
Morocco lose key players; O’Neill confirmed at Celtic
Morocco will be without Nayef Aguerd and Abde Ezzalzouli for the tournament. Aguerd has not played since early March because of a groin injury requiring surgery, complicated by a fractured pubic bone. Ezzalzouli was hurt in a freak incident in a friendly against Norway. The Moroccan federation and FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia-based defender Marwane Saadane and striker Amine Sbai as replacements.
In domestic football, Celtic officially announced Martin O’Neill’s appointment as manager on a one-year contract with a one-year option. The news came after reports that the announcement had been delayed amid uncertainty over his backroom staff; assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham were reportedly offered wage cuts to remain. O’Neill said it was “a great privilege to continue as Celtic manager” and thanked supporters for their “ongoing support”. Principal shareholder Dermot Desmond said O’Neill had “time and time again shown his qualities”.
Wolves sacked Rob Edwards after the club’s relegation from the Premier League, with Sky Sports reporting that the manager paid the price for failing to halt the slide. The club is reportedly targeting Gil Vicente manager César Peixoto. Edwards had been instrumental in planning for next season, including the signing of Raúl Jiménez and Kieran Trippier, and had recently outlined the need for a “cultural reset”. In the women’s game, Manchester City have agreed a £500,000 deal to sign England full-back Niamh Charles from Chelsea, with the transfer expected to be completed soon.
Fans feel the squeeze: soaring costs and muted demand
The much-vaunted tourism boom for host cities has failed to materialise. The Hotel Association of New York City has cut its forecast for hotel room revenue tied to the World Cup by 60% to roughly $60 million, according to CEO Vijay Dandapani. FIFA had projected 1.2 million fans would descend on the city; the association now expects only half a million. Flight bookings from Europe into most host cities for June and July are down 3.8% year-over-year, with bookings into New York plunging 15.8%, according to Cirium. Even if ticket prices halve closer to key matches, last-minute demand may remain muted, said Dana Lattouf, CEO of UK ticket distributor Tickitto, because overseas fans still face the cost and complexity of booking travel and securing visas on short notice.
Vacation rentals are a rare bright spot. Airbnb has told investors the World Cup is on track to be its largest event ever, while AirDNA data shows bookings are tracking higher in cities like Boston and Los Angeles, with hosts raising prices. The booked average daily rate across host cities was $218, while travellers looking now would pay about $335 as of 8 June.
Fans looking to buy replica shirts are also facing a steep rise in costs. Official match versions are retailing for as much as €160, with “stadium” replicas – the versions aimed at supporters – seeing a “striking” overall increase in prices, particularly for teams kitted out by Nike.
The tournament’s first game – Mexico versus South Africa in Mexico City – will go ahead under a peak temperature of around 26C, slightly lower than previous years, but drinks breaks will remain in place. For all the off-pitch turmoil, the football is about to begin.
