FIFA president Gianni Infantino misreads the room on a global scale with crass celebration of World Cup 2026 'excitement'

With all the tragedy being inflicted on normal people in a warring world they didn't want, one might think football might be best served by some degree of neutrality, or decorum at the very least.

Gianni Infantino apparently doesn't see it that way. Having been manoeuvred into a position of allyship with President of the United States of America Donald Trump, the 'sort of king of football' is now unable to remove FIFA, the governing body of which his is president, from the shadow of a geopolitical earthquake that actually means something.

World Cup 2026 isn't a distraction from Trump's war in the Middle East. The two aren't separate enough and the credibility of the game has been fundamentally compromised by Infantino's campaign of politicking.

'500 million ticket requests' can't be wrong?

The sociopolitical environment in the United States alone raises questions about the World Cup. Welcoming the world isn't really in the spirit of the nation's authorities in 2026 and the idea of thousands of overseas players and football fans arriving in June seems less than ideal.

Iran qualified for the World Cup by winning their third-round qualifying group but their participation is doubtful to say the least. Iraq head coach Graham Arnold has called for their play-off to be postponed. A World Cup in these circumstances might be technically possible, but its celebratory aspect is badly blemished.

The FIFA president isn't letting the devastating impact of war detract from his enjoyment of the build-up to World Cup 2026. In an interview with AS, Infantino sought to keep the spotlight on the positives as he sees them.

"The World Cup is going to be fantastic, phenomenal," Infantino told AS via the Mirror, sounding like no world leader in particular.

"There's unprecedented excitement in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In four weeks, we've had over 500 million ticket requests. This is incredible. We have almost seven million tickets, but 500 million is something never before seen in the history of FIFA or any other institution.

"77 of the 104 matches have had over a million ticket requests, and the rest are around that number. We're holding back some tickets for later in the tournament and for the final days. All the stadiums are going to be packed – it's going to be a total party."

Infantino's callous enjoyment of his spoils might be seen as offensive in its own right but the attachment of FIFA and football to it has unsurprisingly subject to criticism.

As if to ensure once and for all that the World Cup can't be disentangled from the foreign policy whims of the United States regime, Infantino handed Trump the entirely fabricated FIFA Peace Prize in December.

The award carries a 'Football Unites the World' slogan and that's an increasingly difficult sentiment to reconcile with the divisive and destructive actions to which the ludicrous trophy is affixed.

"In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it’s fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace," Infantino posted on Instagram last year as the FIFA Peace Prize was announced.

"Football stands for peace, and on behalf of the entire global football community, the FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World will recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations."