Omar Artan Denied US Entry: What It Means for World Cup 2026
Somali referee Omar Artan was barred from the US despite a valid visa. We examine the facts, the politics, and what it means for FIFA’s World Cup 2026.
World Cup 2026
Philadelphia’s 4 A.M. Last Call: The World Cup Permit Bottleneck
Philadelphia spent months building a way to cash in on the World Cup’s late-night crowds, and then quietly throttled it. The pitch was simple: let bars serve until 4 a.m. instead of the usual 2 a.m. for the duration of the tournament, capturing the spending of fans who, in a normal Philadelphia June, would be … Read more
How to Get to Gillette Stadium for the World Cup 2026: Boston’s Foxborough Problem
If you are trying to work out how to get to Gillette Stadium for the World Cup 2026 start with the fact the tournament’s branding would rather you didn’t dwell on: “Boston Stadium” is not in Boston. It sits in Foxborough, roughly 22 miles southwest of the city, ringed by Route 1 and very little … Read more
Mexico City’s World Cup Dream Shadowed by Strikes and Unease
Teachers’ strikes and public tension cloud Mexico City’s World Cup opener preparations. What the Zócalo buzz masks about the mood on the ground.
Toronto Is Reselling Its Own World Cup Tickets — and the Math Explains Why
There is a quiet scandal of arithmetic buried in the build-up to Canada’s first men’s World Cup, and it has nothing to do with what fans pay. It is about what the host cities themselves are doing as sellers. Toronto’s World Cup 2026 ticket resale programme, the city buying its own allocation of seats and … Read more
How to Get to Estadio Ciudad de México for the World Cup 2026 Opener
For a month we have written the same warning about how to get to Estadio Ciudad de México for the World Cup 2026 opener as we have for every other venue: in North America, the stadium is the easy part and the last mile is where the plan breaks. Mexico City breaks the pattern. When … Read more
How to Get to MetLife Stadium for the World Cup 2026: The Closed-Loop Plan
The World Cup opens on Thursday, and if you want to get to MetLife Stadium for the World Cup 2026, the most important thing to understand is this: almost every way in now requires a match ticket and an advance purchase. In the final week before kickoff, New Jersey and FIFA have locked in an … Read more
World Cup 2026 Entry Crisis: Referees, Fans and Officials Locked Out
Somali referee Omar Artan, Iranian fans and officials among those blocked from entering the US for World Cup 2026. Full analysis of the growing entry crisis.
World Cup 2026 Human Trafficking Crackdown: Panic vs the Evidence
Three days before a ball is kicked, one of the most aggressive enforcement build-outs around the tournament is not aimed at ticket touts or hooligans. It is aimed at money. The World Cup 2026 human trafficking crackdown now runs from a White House task force down through the Treasury Department’s financial-intelligence unit to the teller … Read more
World Cup 2026 Visa Crisis: Who Has Been Blocked and Why It Matters
From referee Omar Artan to Iranian officials, Trump-era border restrictions are disrupting World Cup 2026. We break down who’s affected and what it means.
