Every four years, the FIFA World Cup takes over the planet’s attention. But the Men’s competition in 2026 is beginning to shape way more around the world’s biggest sport of soccer (also written as: football or fútbol). This month-long event, notably in the summer, is known to foster a positive competitive atmosphere. With the United States, Canada, and Mexico all cohosting together for the very first time, it is ultimately expanding the competitive world of soccer and bringing forward more global impacts (either socio – political and or sports-based). FIFA brings cultural phenomena throughout each nation’s players and fans due to the significance of unique narratives and national identities.
a fifa short history
The acronym stands for the Federation Internationale de Football Association that self regulates over three different yet similar sports: soccer, beach soccer, and futsal (a combination of soccer and baseball).
FIFA began on May 21st 1904 by the French journalist Robert Guerin. In his late twenties, he was able to start his association because of his active involvement in soccer where he served as the secretary for the “Football Department Of The Union Of French Athletic Sports Societies” under the French newspaper of Le Matin. Just two full days later, on May 23rd, he was selected to be the first FIFA president where he brought together eight different representatives for the first seven participating countries who all signed their contracts in Paris, France. Following his two year term, he continued to add more countries and representatives in hope to bring more cultural unity around the sport of soccer.
Today, the president of the association is Gianni Infantino, who is a Swiss-Italian and a former University of Fribourg Law Student. Infantino was originally a part of FIFA under the Reform Committee, but after his successors Sepp Blatter (who was impeached) and later Issa Hayaton (who only served a short term). He was elected as the association’s president in 2016 and has continued to be their incumbent.
Why is the Soccer world cup so important to many countries?
For many nations, these matches are one of their rare chances to gain global respect and recognition, as the world seems to pause most conflicts so that talented athletes can play to represent their country. The 101 games of soccer in 2026 will bring a global moment of pride for one’s country, political upper hands, and even economic opportunities in co-hosting countries (like the United States, Canada, and Mexico).
In particular for the 2026 World Cup, it has been FIFA’s mission to expand to represent 48 different countries in hopes of making soccer (fútbol) available globally. The Association’s change allows for underrepresented countries such as Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific Ocean regions to have a stronger presence in hopes of gaining global recognition for their talents and or athletes. This also means that in 2026, the FIFA World Cup will accept a higher number of smaller countries to play against large powerhouse teams like Argentina, Brazil, and other European countries fighting for a spot.
More participation from any country brings new narratives to the field, which allows for those stories to reflect on themes such as struggles, politics, and identity. Particularly for soccer, the sport has become a political aspect that is driven by sportswashing. Simply, the definition of this term is: the use of an athletic event by an individual or a government, a corporation, or another group to promote or burnish the individual’s or group’s reputation, especially amid controversy or scandal. A great example of this was seen three years ago when Qatar hosted the World Cup and even used that event to try to distract from harsh allegations (that were proven true) of human rights abuses and horrible treatment of migrant workers. Thus, sportswashing the FIFA World Cup is a tool to distract from the Host country’s recent controversies.
Sportswashing To Economic Catalysts
This 2026 WORLD CUP is like no other before!
This is because all three nations from North America will be hosting the 100-plus games. For the first time in history, FIFA will be jointly hosted by three big countries that symbolize unity in which presents further logistical challenges for the future of the association.
In 2026, the economic impact is expected to increase than any other Cup in different perspectives of tourism, influx of job creation, and the development of new infrastructure. Since the United States is one of the three hosting countries, it is set to break records and help generate billions of dollars in terms of hosting huge matches in stadiums from coast to coast. The only way that the World Cup is super important is based solely on the economics. Meaning that this gigantic cultural unifier brings people full of national pride to the host country and creates a communal celebration.
New Winner, New Motto
The North American World Cup is only a few months away, meaning that diversity and the amplification of underrepresented voices on a global scale will likely become a popular trend as the game of soccer continues to expand. FIFA is not only crowning a new winner every four years, but instead will also remind the world that we are close to each other via humanity and for the love of soccer beyond any border.