The World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, faces scrutiny over overpriced transportation and hotel accommodations, alongside the refusal of entry for Somali referee Omar Artan and other officials and journalists denied visas. The United States defended travel restrictions imposed on the Iranian national team, which require Iran to travel to venues within 24 hours of fixtures and return directly to its training base in Tijuana, Mexico after each game. Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei described Iran as "the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup" in the context of these state-sanctioned restrictions.
The economic dimensions of the global spectacle are evident in the widespread reports of stadiums not selling out, despite the high costs associated with attending. This surplus extraction through inflated prices for essential services like travel and lodging directly impacts working-class fans and support staff, while the denial of visas to officials and journalists limits their ability to participate and report. The USMNT's opening match against Paraguay on June 12 saw a 4-1 victory at SoFi Stadium, where chants of "USA, USA!" dominated for two hours, a spectacle that diverts attention from the underlying structural issues.
Capital's Game, State's Rules
The US defense of the travel restrictions on the Iranian team highlights the role of the state in enforcing geopolitical agendas under the guise of security. Iran's participation in the World Cup has been in doubt since its war against the US and Israel earlier this year, underscoring how international sporting events are entangled with imperialist conflicts. The Iranian regime, through its Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, has also threatened to cease playing in the World Cup if "unauthorized flags are displayed or slogans targeting the national team are chanted at stadiums," revealing its own efforts to control public expression and suppress dissent.
Further illustrating the network of imperialist alignments, Paraguay has moved its embassy to Jerusalem and designated Hamas, Hezbollah, and the IRGC as terror organizations. This political maneuvering by states directly impacts the conditions under which international events like the World Cup are held, often at the expense of fair and open participation. The Jerusalem Post feature, which highlighted a Jewish athlete on the USMNT and described the coverage as including "cultural and diaspora dimensions," frames these events in a way that obscures the material realities of state power and economic exploitation.
Dissent on the Sidelines
Outside SoFi Stadium, Iranian demonstrators waved the lion and sun flags, Israeli flags, US flags, and signs with the image of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. These protestors voiced direct opposition to the Iranian regime, with one demonstrator stating that FIFA had allowed the flag of the Islamic Republic but "not our national flag," adding, "They’ve hijacked our identity. They’re trying to erase our identity as Iranians." The demonstrators called for the team to be kicked out of the World Cup, asserting, "The team doesn’t represent us. The players that have been sent here support a terrorist regime. They filter these people before they are sent as a national team. They represent the 1% minority of people that support the regime."
Another protester articulated the broader solidarity with those suffering under imperialist violence, stating, "We feel everything you’ve been going through since October 7." These voices from the economically dispossessed and politically marginalized expose the deep contradictions inherent in an event presented as a celebration of global unity, but which is instead a site of state control, profit maximization, and ongoing geopolitical struggle. The focus on symbolic gestures like "cultural dimensions" fails to address the structural issues of state repression and economic inequality that define the current global order.