This year's World Cup is unique in several ways. It features a record 48 teams, is played in three countries with enormous distances between the host cities, and takes place in a context where one of the host countries started a war against one of the participating countries this spring.
Jules Boykoff, a political science professor at Pacific University in Oregon, has written a book about this year's World Cup and played on the US U23 national team in 1990.
There are many things that stand out in this year's World Cup, he notes.
Here are some examples:
The heat risk. Global temperatures have risen by 0.7 degrees since the last World Cup was held in North America in 1994.
We are living in a time of climate change, and many matches will be played in the heat, which means the safety of players, fans and referees is threatened, says Boykoff.
Violence. Mexico has tens of thousands of murders every year, with one journalist killed each week between 2017 and 2020. The United States is also plagued by gun violence.
I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but in the United States there is a high level of structural violence. There has been basically a mass shooting every day in 2026.
Political unrest. The United States is a polarized country that has been shaken by widespread protests and riots. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is implementing the Trump administration's campaign promise to detain and deport migrants who are not authorized to be in the United States, and ICE has been accused of arbitrary arrests and excessive force. This has in turn led to widespread protests. Ahead of the World Cup, ICE's potential presence has led to strike threats from stadium workers and unrest among migrants.
There is concern that visitors from places like Latin America, Africa and Asia could be targeted by ICE as well, but we have had a number of white people from places like Germany and Canada detained as well, Boykoff says.
Sky-high prices. Some tickets cost tens of thousands of kronor and train tickets between New York and New Jersey are seven times more expensive than normal. Parking at the stadium in Dallas for the semi-final costs more than 1,600 kronor.
These high prices really dampen the joy. FIFA is a greed machine - this "dynamic pricing" sounds good but is really a way to extract the highest possible price from the paying fans.
Warring nations square off. For the first time in World Cup history, a host nation (the United States) is at war with a participating nation (Iran). Iran will also play its three group stage matches in the United States, where the team will fly in and out from its base in Mexico. The countries could also meet in a round of 32, or later in the playoffs.
Enormous distances. Between Vancouver in western Canada and Guadalajara in Mexico there are 4,400 kilometers, and it is the same distance between Los Angeles and New Jersey. For teams and fans it will be a complex and emissions-intensive championship.
Unfortunately, the US does not have a good train network, so people will be forced to fly to get to the next game, says Boykoff.
Who is allowed to come? Somali football referee Omar Artan was set to become the first from his country to referee a World Cup, but was denied entry at the Miami airport. Fans from Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast have difficulty obtaining visas, and some members of the Iranian staff have been denied entry.
Jules Boykoff describes that this year's World Cup is plagued by a paradox - that it is the most inclusive in terms of the number of countries - with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan participating for the first time.
On the other hand, it is not at all inclusive due to President Donald Trump's policies. Some countries are not even allowed to send their fans.
