Sepp Blatter criticises 2026 FIFA World Cup format, says U.S. hosting share is ‘unfair’

Christopher Sededzi Kwame 08:01 - 23 February 2026

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter | Getty Images

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has voiced strong objections to the structure of the 2026 men’s World Cup, questioning both the expanded 48-team format and the distribution of matches among the three host nations.

The tournament, set to be jointly staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will feature 104 matches, the largest in World Cup history.

Of those, 78 will be played in the United States, which will also host every fixture from the quarter-finals onwards.

Each host nation will stage its own national team’s group-stage matches, with Mexico scheduled to kick off the competition on June 11 against South Africa in Mexico City.

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Blatter, now 89, described the imbalance in match allocation as inconsistent with football’s global development objectives and suggested that the dynamic between U.S. President Donald Trump and current FIFA president Gianni Infantino risks politicising the sport.

Blatter said in an interview released Saturday with Radio Canada, as quoted by The Athletic,

It’s not right. By putting the three (co-hosts) together, one would have thought they would have roughly the same share of the pie.

It’s (the competition expansion to 48 teams) not good. And playing in three countries is even worse—especially since two of those countries are receiving nothing but crumbs.

He continued,

In this World Cup, the great profiteer will be the United States, but not the spectators. A World Cup should not be organised in a country that does not grant visas (to everyone).

The United States has implemented a series of travel restrictions affecting nationals from certain countries, including Senegal, Ivory Coast, Iran and Haiti — all of whom have secured qualification for the 2026 tournament since Trump’s return to office.

Blatter led FIFA from 1998 until 2015, when he was suspended for eight years following an ethics investigation.

FIFA and Swiss prosecutors alleged that a payment of two million Swiss francs was made in connection with his 2011 re-election campaign. Blatter denied any wrongdoing and was cleared of financial misconduct by a Swiss appeals court in March 2025.

He also criticised the public relationship between Trump and Infantino, who on Thursday formalised a partnership initiative focused on regeneration efforts in Gaza.

Infantino attended the inaugural Board of Peace meeting and was photographed wearing a red “USA” cap bearing "45–47", a reference to Trump’s non-consecutive presidencies.

Blatter said,

(Trump and Infantino’s relationship) changed the game for the World Cup, We have never seen anything like it.

He continued when asked about Trump being awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize,

We play for peace. It is not up to FIFA to give out a Peace Prize. Football is a social, cultural and grassroots event. Turning football into politics — because that is largely what is happening now — is, for me, incomprehensible.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee on Sunday cleared Infantino of allegations relating to breaches of political neutrality.

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