One Rule for Russia, Another for America: FIFA’s Selective Justice and the 2026 World Cup Crisis

“As we approach the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the host nation, the United States, remains deeply entangled in an ongoing act of aggression and warfare initiated alongside Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran. A critical concern overshadowing this prestigious tournament is the security of Iranian athletes on U.S. soil. This apprehension stems from the fact that the host government is currently an active party to the aggression against the athletes’ homeland—a government that has repeatedly expressed animosity and contempt toward Iranians, and has even issued explicit threats against the safety of Iranian participants in the World Cup via social media.

Despite FIFA’s fundamental mandate to ensure the security of all athletes and confront any threats against them, this ostensibly independent organization has remained conspicuously silent.

Consequently, this report aims to examine FIFA’s legal performance regarding the 2026 World Cup. It seeks to determine whether FIFA is acting with genuine independence from the United States, in accordance with its own Statutes and the applicable provisions of Swiss law (the seat of its incorporation). Furthermore, this report critically analyzes whether maintaining the United States as the host—in light of its ongoing acts of aggression against Iran and its recent actions in Venezuela—constitutes a double standard, particularly when contrasted with FIFA’s decision to exclude Russia from the World Cup due to the conflict in Ukraine.”