World Cup 2026, direct attack on Trump and FIFA from France: controversy erupts

‘L’Équipe’ lit the fuse just over twenty-four hours before the 2026 World Cup kicks off. The French sports daily, in its June 10 edition, dedicated its front page to the rainbow event with an image that immediately went around the world and unleashed a political and sporting storm.

The headline, ‘Welcome to the USA,’ introduces a vitriolic cover: Donald Trump portrayed with the ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ medal around his neck, the World Cup clutched in his left hand and, in the other, FIFA President Gianni Infantino turned into a puppet. On either side, Somali referee Omar Artan, who was rejected at the US border and forced to return home (where, by the way, he was welcomed as a hero), and a masked ICE agent completing the picture.

A very harsh graphic choice, pointing the finger at the organization of the 2026 World Cup and the US authorities’ handling of visas, a central issue for months now, ever since the first doubts were raised about the Iranian national team’s entry into the US. The front page of the French sports daily openly denounces what is perceived internationally as a dangerous intermingling of politics, security and soccer governance, with Trump and FIFA placed on the same plane of responsibility.

The reactions were not long in coming. In the United States, the headline was branded by some commentators as a political provocation masquerading as sports satire, while more nuanced but still critical readings came from the soccer world. FIFA, on the other hand, has already reiterated its position several times, claiming that it has no role in the host country’s migration policies. The controversy, however, is very strong, and the various visa issues continue to be read as a sign of fragility in the management of the tournament.

France, through L’Équipe, has chosen a direct, almost brutal path to denounce what it considers to be a World Cup born under a bad star: meanwhile, the tournament is approaching and tensions around the event seem destined to remain high.