A record 48 teams and millions of fans are set to descend on the US, Canada and Mexico for the first World Cup co-hosted by three nations, the largest and most logistically complex edition of the tournament ever staged.
The action got under way at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca on Thursday last week, with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa, launching a sprawling, nearly six-week-long spectacle that will culminate in the final at New Jersey’s 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Can Lionel Messi, at the age of 38, settle any lingering debate about his status as the greatest player of all time by leading Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup title?
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
Or can Messi’s great rival, the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, defy father time by inspiring a talented Portugal team to its maiden World Cup win?
Those questions and more will be answered over the course of a tournament that Gianni Infantino, the president of world football’s governing FIFA, has bullishly hyped as “the greatest show that the planet has ever seen.”
TICKET FURY
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
Yet Infantino’s breezy assurances have run into hurricane-force headwinds of scepticism during a build-up dogged by concerns over affordability, politics and conflict in the Middle East.
The skyrocketing cost of tickets has triggered a global backlash which has left FIFA and Infantino struggling to mount a convincing public relations defense.
The most expensive ticket for the 2022 World Cup final in Doha cost around US$1,600 at face value; in 2026 the most expensive face value final ticket being sold by FIFA is an eye-watering US$32,970.
That kind of stratospheric inflation has been prevalent across the tournament’s 104 matches, where seats for many games remain available on secondary re-sale markets despite huge demand.
EXCLUSION AND FEAR
Other critics have questioned whether the World Cup party will be soured by the tense political climate in the US.
Human Rights Watch says the Trump administration’s immigration, demonstrations and press freedom could lead to a World Cup defined by “exclusion and fear.”
Those concerns were given a fresh jolt of momentum on Monday last week when FIFA confirmed that Somali referee Omar Artan would play no part in the tournament after being denied entry to the US.
The US-Israel military strikes launched against Iran in February have also loomed large over the tournament, where Iran are due to play three group games in the US, starting with their opener against New Zealand on Monday.
Iran have switched their base camp from Tucson, Arizona to the Mexican city of Tijuana.
While Iran’s players are free to travel in and out of the US, 15 administrative and management staff have been denied visas by US authorities in a move Iranian authorities have condemned as “deliberate and discriminatory treatment.”
EXPANDED FIELD
On the field, the decision to expand the tournament to 48 teams — up from 32 in 2022 — is likely to strip the group stage of any sense of jeopardy.
The tournament will see a range of other innovations.
For the first time in World Cup history, every game will feature cooling breaks in the middle of each half, a measure designed to mitigate the effects of searing heat and humidity expected at many of the tournament’s 16 venues.
Players and referees will need to adjust to several new rules being rolled out at the World Cup, including teams being required to make substitutions inside 10 seconds to prevent time-wasting.
A crackdown on abuse will see players risk a red card for covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt during a confrontation with an opponent, to prevent the use of hidden racist, sexist or homophobic language.
(AFP)
2026 年世界盃足球賽迎來創紀錄的48支參賽隊伍，將有數以百萬計的球迷湧入美國、加拿大與墨西哥。這不僅是史上首次由三個國家共同主辦的世界盃，也是規模最大、後勤安排最複雜的一屆賽事。
比賽上週四在墨西哥城最具代表性的球場——阿茲特克體育場揭開序幕，首場比賽是主辦國之一墨西哥對戰南非。這場橫跨近六週的足球盛宴，將於7月19日在美國紐澤西州可容納 82,500名觀眾的大都會人壽體育場舉行決賽後畫下句點。
38歲的梅西，能否率領阿根廷隊衛冕成功，連續兩屆奪下世界盃冠軍，讓外界對他「史上最佳球員」的地位不再有任何一絲疑慮？
抑或，梅西的宿敵、41歲的C羅是否能夠逆齡演出，帶領實力堅強的葡萄牙隊奪下隊史首座世界盃冠軍？
這些問題，都將在這屆賽事中獲得解答。國際足球總會（FIFA）主席詹尼．英凡提諾則信心十足地將本屆世界盃形容為：「地表上有史以來最偉大的運動盛事」。
高票價引發眾怒
然而，英凡提諾的樂觀說法，在世界盃籌備過程中遭遇強烈質疑。高昂票價、政治因素以及中東衝突，都讓這場全球盛事蒙上陰影。
門票價格暴漲更是引發全球反彈，國際足總與英凡提諾卻難以提出令人信服的解釋。
2022年卡達世界盃決賽最貴的門票原價約為1,600美元；但2026年世界盃決賽由國際足總販售的最高價門票，竟高達32,970美元。
如此驚人的漲幅，也反映在本屆104場比賽中。儘管需求旺盛，許多場比賽的門票在二手市場仍有餘票。
排擠與恐懼
另有批評者質疑，美國緊張的政治氛圍可能會讓世界盃蒙塵。
人權觀察組織指出，川普政府在移民政策、示威活動及新聞自由等議題上的立場，可能讓本屆世界盃成為一場充滿「排擠與恐懼」的賽事。
這些疑慮上週一再度加劇。國際足總證實，來自索馬利亞的裁判奧馬．阿爾坦因遭美國拒絕入境，將無法參與本屆世界盃執法工作。
此外，美國與以色列自今年二月對伊朗發動軍事攻擊後，中東局勢也持續牽動本屆賽事。伊朗將在美國進行三場小組賽，首戰於週一對戰紐西蘭。
伊朗已將集訓基地由原訂的美國亞利桑那州土桑市，改至墨西哥的提華納。
儘管伊朗球員仍可自由進出美國，但約15名行政與管理人員遭美方拒發簽證。伊朗政府譴責此舉是「蓄意且具歧視性的對待」。
擴軍後的小組賽變數降低
在球場上，本屆世界盃由2022年的32隊擴增至48隊，也引發部分人士擔憂，小組賽的競爭張力將因此下降。
本屆賽事也將推出多項新措施。
首先，世界盃史上首次規定每場比賽上下半場均設置「補水時間」，以減輕16座比賽場館可能出現的高溫、高濕環境對球員的影響。
球員與裁判還必須適應數項新規則，其中包括要求球隊必須在10秒內完成換人程序，以防止拖延時間。
此外，針對歧視行為，國際足總也祭出更嚴厲處分。若球員在與對手發生衝突時，以手掌、手臂或球衣遮掩口部，企圖掩飾種族、性別歧視或恐同言論，將可能被發紅牌驅逐出場。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
