The World Cup In Trump's America: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
By Alfie Tait| January 20, 2026
This Summer, the biggest event in the sporting world will take place - the World Cup. Usually, the World Cup is a time of international joy, elite sporting competitiveness and strong desire for your nation to go all the way. Unfortunately, in recent times, greed, politics and money seem to have dominated FIFA's decision making. The last two World Cups have brought with them significant controversy, being held in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. However, this year's competition in the USA may be the most damaging yet.
The World's Game
The World Cup will begin in mid June and a month of footballing history will follow. This year, the World Cup will be hosted by three North American Nations: Canada, Mexico and the USA. For the first time ever, there will be 48 teams competing for the biggest prize in football - including debutants such as Cape Verde and Curacao.
European Champions Spain will enter the World Cup as favourites with the bookies, with Thomas Tuchel's England side just behind as second favourites. Back to back Euro finals and a run to the semis and quarter finals in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup's respectively have English fans dreaming and If the Three Lions manage to bring home the trophy, it will be the first major competition win for England since 1966.
However, as we approach the summer, 14 of the qualified nations (nearly 1/3 of the entire tournament field) have been hit by Trump's new travel restrictions. Trump's latest outlandish decision was to suspend the visa processing from 75 nations around the world, which is likely to cause massive issues when the tournament rolls around. Nations such as Iran, Haiti and the Ivory Coast are especially targeted by travel bans. Whilst these countries have qualified on merit, and exceptions are made for athletes, whether these sides will be able to have the backing of their nation's support remains to be seen.
America In 2026
Donald Trump's second term in power as President of the USA has shown seemingly no limits to how dangerous and outlandish the psychopathic leader can be when it comes to getting his way. It has only been 1 year of Trump's new reign and it is already difficult to fit in all the vicious and violent actions he has taken.
In just the last few weeks we have seen Trump take it up on himself to kidnap the sitting President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. The usual front of a war on drugs has been used by the imperialist American regime in order for them to assume control of the nation and send in American oil companies to fleece the country of whatever resources they have before leaving the nation to rot in disorder. Sound familiar?
Deciding that Venezuela wasn't quite enough to fulfil Trump's colonial appetite - his sights are now firmly set on Greenland. Trump has settled on a story that acquiring Greenland is essential to the security of both the USA and their Western Allies and has gone as far as to not rule out military force if necessary to complete the takeover. Remember, these are meant to be 'the good guys'.
The outright fascist aggressors disguised as ICE agents have also come back to the fore in recent times, after one agent took it upon himself to fire 4 rounds into Renee Good and kill the mother of three. Her crime? driving away from the agent in question. These thugs, who are seemingly too unskilled to be a soldier and too dense for police work tend to commit their acts of aggression whilst hiding their faces, though it is unclear whether this is to disguise their identity whilst they attack vulnerable members of society or they simply can't face the shame that comes with making a living by licking the boots of their authoritarian leader.
It is undeniably clear that the USA is currently an incredibly hostile and dangerous place to be for lots of the people that will have been hoping to simply go and support their country at a footballing tournament. With a leader as heavy-handed and unpredictable as Donald Trump it is almost impossible to envision a tournament where US state-backed aggression towards supporters (that can actually enter the country) doesn't feature. If that's the case, then why are they being allowed not only to compete in the tournament - but to host it?
Trump-Infantino Love Affair
The answer to the question I raised in the previous section can likely be found within the 'unique' relationship between US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. FIFA's history is littered with dubious decisions and some underhand dealings, as evidently seen with disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The decisions to host the last two world cups in Russia and Qatar respectively drew lots of criticism and questions whether these calls were above board, and similar questions have been raised about Saudi Arabia's success in their bid for the 2034 World Cup.
All of these controversial decisions have proven that FIFA has no qualms when it comes to working with nations that breach Human Rights, so the lack of action taken against the USA shouldn't come as much surprise. However, this time Infantino went one step further. During the draw ceremony, Infantino presented a never-before-seen 'FIFA Peace Prize'. The man he awarded it to - Gianni's best pal and frequent warmonger - Donald Trump.
We have seen FIFA take action against other hostile nations, such as Russia, who have been banned from international competition until the invasion of Ukraine comes to a close. However, with the 'friendship' between Trump and Infantino and the fact that the USA are one of the hosts this year (aswell as the general consensus that rules don't apply to America), it is incredibly unlikely to see significant, if any, action being taken by FIFA.
What Can Be Done?
There are numerous possible resolutions when it comes to addressing the issue of America hosting this year's World Cup. Unfortunately, any of the following suggestions are unlikely to come to fruition with the current set of decision-makers at FIFA.
The most obvious solution and seemingly the easiest, is to simply remove the USA's spot as one of the host nations. If FIFA aren't willing to go as far as banning the USA from participating in the tournament, the next logical step is to allow them to compete, but with only Canada and Mexico hosting games. Of course, this is a course of action that wouldn't be received well by the Whitehouse, but it comes down to whether Infantino prioritises the safety of hundreds of thousands of fans or his friendship with Donald Trump more.
If FIFA refuses to take any action - which would be the most likely outcome in my opinion - then it comes down to those at the tournament to make a statement. Players, fans, managers, pundits and more all have the power to express their dissent at the United States Government. I would call for players to send a statement on the pitch, managers to speak out in news conferences, fans to use their voice in the stands as protest and pundits to use their airtime to shine a light on just how atrocious the Trump regime really is.
The World Cup should be a time of joy around the world, it should be a time for unity among nations and excitement for the summer. Trump and his vicious actions have instead created a World Cup that will be filled with fear, violence and division.
England fans will hope the World Cup comes home; but we need to ensure that all the fans also make it back.
'The Hollywood Derby': The Increased Americanisation and Monetisation of Football
By Alfie Tait| October 12, 2025
Friday 3rd October saw Wrexham and Birmingham City play out an evenly contested 1-1 draw. Both sides currently sit in the bottom half of the championship and on paper-this would appear to be a low-key footballing affair. However, due to the addition of Wrexham owners: Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac and Birmingham City investor, Tom Brady, this fixture was the talk of the town in The EFL and was awarded prime-time coverage on SkySports.
The USA Effect
Both clubs have seen significant changes on and off the pitch since their respective ownership changes. The season before Rob and Ryan arrived in Wrexham, they had a lowly finish of 20th in the 5th tier of English football. Birmingham City were teetering on the edge of extinction with debts of £149 million caused by years of neglect from previous owners. Now both clubs are stable, championship clubs with ambitions of Premier League football in the near future. The main reason for this - America's arrival.
Both clubs have also now acquired a significant presence in the States. You can find Birmingham City Merch walking through an 'UNDFTD' store in New York and then make your way to a local bar for a pint of Wrexham Lager. Birmingham City's annual revenue was doubled in Knighthead's first season and Wrexham's revenue rose by 155% over the last year. Both sides also now have their own documentaries airing on major streaming channels, with the award-winning 'Welcome to Wrexham' on Disney and 'Brady and The Blues' premiering on Amazon Prime last summer.
Both clubs are in vastly different places than they were before their celebrity owners arrived, but have all the changes been for the better?
The Negatives
Just like the coffee we drink, the fast-food we eat and the phones we are inseparable from; sport too has become a product of the globalised world - and football more-so than most. In 2023, only 43.7% of Premier League players had English citizenship (Sportingpedia) and Just 2 of the 20 Premier League managers are English. This is nothing new in the world of football. The Premier League is often described as the best league in the world, and it wouldn't have been able to even come close to this title without a diverse array of talent.
Whilst I am often in support of a more globalised world, the international influence in Premier League also comes with consequences. As reflected with the rest of society, it is never the rich owners who suffer from these consequences - it is the common fan. Due to growing demand from international markets and the clubs achieving a higher status in the industry, the clubs feel more entitled to up ticket prices, as they are confident that they will sell - and they do. In the 2015/16 season Birmingham City had one of the most affordable adult season ticket prices in the championship, with the cheapest option being £230, the cheapest adult season ticket for the current season is £365 - nearly 60% increase. Despite this rise, 20,00 season tickets were sold this season with a further 12,000 fans left on the waiting list. This shows that due to the heightened demand for tickets, fans are forced into giving more of their hard earned money into the hands of a multi-billion dollar company.
There is also the risk that the 'Americanisation' of these clubs goes too far, and the owners start to lose touch with the identity of their club. In September of 2024, there was serious talk by the then Chief Executive of Birmingham City, Garry Cook, of a fixture against Wrexham being played in the United States. Cook believed this was a "great idea". Whilst the idea of this materialising right now seems unlikely due to a lack of support from governing bodies and fans, will it still seem unlikely in 5 years time? It certainly wouldn't come as a shock to me.
The Positives
Despite what I mentioned in the previous section, it is impossible to argue that the ownership changes haven't also brought many benefits with them both to their clubs - but also the cities that host them.
As previously stated, both clubs are in a much stronger and healthier place in the footballing world then they were pre-takeovers. Both sides are now able to attract big-name talents such as Kieffer Moore for Wrexham and Demarai Gray returning to Birmingham. A betting man would likely have his money on both sides reaching the Premier League in the next 5 years - an idea that would've appeared ludicrous before the American investments.
Another benefit of having celebrity owners is the greater attention brought to Wrexham and Birmingham, both as football clubs but also as cities. This may seem to have less of an effect on Birmingham, which is the Second City in the country and were already an established Football club that was a regular in the top two flights of the English football pyramid. However, they have now established a fanbase internationally - especially in the USA. The wider City is also reaping the rewards of Knighthead's investment. The American Owners plan to build a 60,000 seat stadium - dubbed the 'Wembley of the Midlands'. This will attract a large number of 'sport tourists' to the area. Knighthead also have plans to build a Sports Quarter around the ground, creating thousands of jobs in one of the more deprived cities in the Country.
Wrexham too has benefitted from the attention and investment from their Hollywood owners. The average attendance so far at the Racecourse is over double what the club was seeing 10 years ago. Wrexham have breached the seemingly impenetrable Swansea/Cardiff dominance of Welsh clubs in the pyramid. According to reports, Wrexham are also now more popular in the USA than every MLS club bar Inter Miami. It is not just on the pitch that significant changes have come to the Red Dragons in recent times. Wrexham also achieved city status in September 2022 - roughly 18 months following the takeover by Reynolds and Mac.
The Future
The future for the two clubs at the forefront of this article is undeniably looking bright. Both clubs are very likely to see Premier League football in the very near future and are both unlikely to see financial trouble anytime soon. Birmingham owner Tom Wagner has even gone as far as discussing seeing Birmingham City competing in the Champions League final - the pinnacle of European football. Wrexham's brand would be expected to continue to rocket and 'Welcome to Wrexham' is likely to continue being one of the most popular sports documentaries around.
It seems fairly certain that football and the wider sports world will continue to become an increasingly globalised and commodified product. Sport tourism is likely to continue it's rise and the game will continue to become about appeasing international viewers and investors, most likely to the detriment of long-time supporters. I believe that with every season that passes we are getting closer to English league games being played abroad, and when the first one happens it will become harder to stop going forward. The distasteful 'Super League' concept was the perfect example of this, when it seemed as though major clubs from around Europe were on the brink of leaving their domestic leagues to join an elites only competition. Luckily, protests and blocks from governing bodies managed to halt this idea previously, but there is only so long you can rely on billionaires to function with any care for the common man.
This is not just an Americanisation issue either, there are plenty of non-American international and even domestic owners that need to be looked at. Newcastle United are majority owned by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, in essence the state of Saudi Arabia. This is a country where homosexuality is still punishable by death, a country where two transgender men were 'packed in sacks, thrashed with sticks and tortured to death' by state police. In 2009 an 18 year old girl was kidnapped and gang-raped, subsequently she was sentenced to 6 months in prison and 90 lashes. These are just 3 examples of how Saudi Arabia spits in the face of women, the LGBTQ+ community and wider human rights in general. Despite this, the vast majority of Newcastle fans could not contain their excitement at the prospect of having Saudi money, built on blood, being funneled into their club.
In the grand scheme of things, Wrexham and Birmingham City seem to have strong owners who are also concerned with improving the cities that host their clubs and the people that inhabit those areas, as well as on-pitch achievements. However, it is likely that as they progress up the Football League, supporters who have been in attendance throughout the bleaker moments of their clubs recent history, will be left behind due to international ticketing competition and price rises. Economic inequality in sport often is reflective of inequality in wider society. As some clubs achieve record profits, other sides such as Bury fc cease to exist. Whilst it is easy to get lost in the positive effects of super-rich owners taking over your football club, it is important to understand that these people are still billionaires and billionaires do not care about you.
Money has taken the lead against Morality in sport and only we, the fans, can stop this unsustainable commodification of one of the final things left to unify us.