FIFA president Gianni Infantino has launched a spirited defence of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, lashing out at what he called those "spreading hate and false rumors" about the tournament. In a lengthy statement published on his Instagram account and on FIFA's website, Infantino praised the organisation for "delivering the best show in the world" and described the tournament as a celebration of "joy and togetherness." "Sorry that you were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all," he wrote, addressing the remarks to journalists and other critics.
The statement came one week after the World Cup final and in response to a series of controversies that shadowed the 48-team tournament, held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Among the most prominent flashpoints: Iranian team officials and a Somali referee were denied entry to the United States, forcing Iran to relocate its training camp from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico — a situation Iran's head coach publicly described as the worst treatment of any team at the tournament. Separately, FIFA took the unusual step of deferring a one-game ban for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, who had received a red card in the round of 32, after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly called Infantino to request the case be reconsidered. The European football governing body UEFA described the decision as crossing a "red line," and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the final in protest. Norway's football federation has since announced it will file a complaint with FIFA's ethics committee over the matter.
Infantino defended the handling of the Balogun case, arguing that "decisions not to ban players in certain situations are routine" across top domestic leagues. On the visa denials, he acknowledged that some individuals were turned away but said millions of fans from around the world were successfully granted entry. He also took credit for facilitating Iran's participation, calling it a demonstration of football's diplomatic power: "Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict."
The controversy has now drawn formal scrutiny in Washington. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent Infantino a letter on Sunday requesting documents detailing the relationship between FIFA and the Trump administration. The letter asks for a full list of gifts, awards, and financial transfers made to Trump, members of his administration, or related entities — including a newly created "FIFA Peace Prize" awarded to the president — as well as visitor records for FIFA's offices in Miami and New York City, and all communications exchanged on messaging platforms including Signal and WhatsApp. The letter requests a formal on-record interview with Infantino and sets a deadline of 9 August 2026. A spokesperson for Trump dismissed the inquiry, calling Raskin "a foolish man" and crediting the president's leadership with making the World Cup one of "the greatest and most successful sporting events in history."
The episode underscores the increasingly fraught relationship between Infantino and his critics. Now in the eleventh year of his presidency, the Swiss-Italian football administrator has held only sporadic full press conferences with international media, and has previously asked journalists "Why are you so mean?" and suggested his critics should "chill, relax." His latest statement closed with the words: "Much love to all."