FIFA World Cup 2026: World Cup concerns are exaggerated, says FIFA vice-president Montagliani

The widespread political and security concerns surrounding the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup are nothing new and will be forgotten once the first ball is kicked, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani said on Wednesday.

This tournament is organized by the United States (US), Mexico and Canada, and its construction is complicated by, among other things, the war in the Middle East, President Donald Trump’s immigration policy and gang violence in Mexico.

Iran has said it will not play its scheduled matches in the US after Trump warned that Iranian players would be at risk, while traveling fans from several countries have expressed difficulties in obtaining visas and fears of being targeted by immigration agents.

But Montagliani, head of the North, Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF, said the concerns were no different from those that preceded previous editions.

“The reality of the World Cup – every World Cup that FIFA has organized – is that there have always been geopolitical issues. Always,” he told the Business of Soccer conference in Atlanta.

“Go back to ’78, Argentina, the junta and all that stuff,” he added, referring to the edition that took place during the South American country’s brutal military dictatorship.

Rights groups say about 30,000 people have died or disappeared under the dictatorship, one of the bloodiest in Latin America.

“Right now it’s just being magnified because everything else in the world is being magnified, whether it’s social media or the way the media reports on things,” Montagliani said.

«But it doesn’t change our jobs… It’s a reality of business. We deal with it. More info: pshr. We will deal with it.»

“And at the end of the day, just like any other World Cup, on June 11, when the ball starts rolling, everyone somehow forgets everything else and starts worrying about the match,” he added.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has come under scrutiny for his close relationship with Trump, including attending a peace summit in Gaza brokered by the US president.

Infantino awarded Trump a newly established FIFA peace prize during the World Cup draw in December.

“Ultimately, our main goal is to ensure that security is of the highest level, which is why we must have a solid relationship with each federal government – ​​Canada, the US and Mexico,” Montagliani said.

«That the fans are safe. That they are going to enjoy themselves. And once the ball starts rolling, it’s all about football.»

Published on March 26, 2026