اخبار سوريا اليوم – وطن نيوز
سوريا اليوم – اخبار سوريا عاجل
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-06-11 13:31:00
The 2026 World Cup has not yet begun, but the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico has begun to cause widespread controversy due to a series of incidents and organizational and security problems that affected teams, players, referees and fans, which opened the door to early criticism of the host country’s readiness to receive the largest sporting event in the world. This edition of the World Cup is the largest edition in the history of the tournament with the participation of 48 teams for the first time. However, the recent preparations witnessed a number of incidents that raised concerns among some participating delegations and revived the discussion about the organizational and security aspects related to the World Cup. Visa and entry problems: One of the most prominent issues that sparked controversy before the tournament was what happened to Iraqi national team striker Ayman Hussein, one of the most prominent stars of the “Mesopotamian Lions” and the maker of the historic qualification to the World Cup after an absence of nearly four decades. Hussein underwent lengthy scrutiny and interrogation procedures immediately after the Iraqi national team delegation arrived in the American city of Chicago from Spain, where his interrogation continued for about seven hours at O’Hare International Airport, before he was finally allowed to join his teammates in the national team. According to media reports, the incident was the result of a similarity in name with another person, which led to his temporary arrest despite having an official entry visa within the national team’s delegation. The entry crisis did not stop with the Iraqi national team, as the mission’s official photographer was prevented from entering the United States and was returned to his country. The procedures also affected the arbitration teams, after Somali international referee Omar Abdul Qadir Artan was prevented from entering American territory, even though he was a candidate to become the first Somali referee to participate in officiating World Cup matches. The US authorities did not clearly announce the reasons for the decision, but reports indicated that Somalia was on a list of countries subject to travel restrictions, which later led to the referee being officially excluded from the list of tournament referees after the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) decided that he was unable to participate. A security incident before the World Cup. The American city of Kansas City, Missouri, witnessed a shooting incident that resulted in the injury of nine people near the site designated for the England football team to host and train during the 2026 World Cup, in an incident that raised serious questions about the level of security preparedness in the cities hosting the tournament. The police received a report of gunfire being heard on Troost Street at four in the morning, a street a short distance from the training center and hotel designated for the England team to stay throughout the tournament. According to reports, the incident resulted in the injury of nine people, while no arrests related to the incident were recorded at the time of preparing this report, which increased the state of concern about the nature of the security situation in the vicinity of the “Three Lions” camp. For its part, the English Football Association remained silent about the incident, without issuing any official comment regarding it or its impact on the national team’s program, at a time when the team’s delegation continues its preparations in the city of “Palm Beach” in Florida, far from the site of the accident. An earthquake near the training camps. In a related context, the England national team’s camp in West Palm Beach witnessed strong earthquakes 24 hours before a friendly preparatory match, as media reports reported an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, the strongest in the region in more than 150 years. Reports stated that the epicenter of the earthquake occurred off the western coast of Cuba, and was felt by residents of several American states, including Florida, which led to a state of anxiety and the precautionary evacuation of some buildings, without recording direct human damage. Poisonous snakes Media reports have raised a state of anxiety within a number of teams participating in the 2026 World Cup, after official warnings were received about the presence of poisonous snakes in the vicinity of some training headquarters in the United States. According to what was published by the official account of the Swiss Federation, the players of the Swiss national team received urgent warnings of the need to be careful while in the vicinity of their training headquarters in the city of San Diego, California, after monitoring areas near the stadium in which there were suspected types of poisonous snakes. According to reports, photos published by the official account of the Swiss national team showed what was described as a “snake zone” surrounding the training headquarters, with clear warnings to players to stay away from some open grassy areas, in light of confirmations of the presence of dangerous types of reptiles in those areas. These warnings sparked widespread interaction on social media platforms, amidst astonishment at the nature of the circumstances surrounding some team camps, especially in light of the preparation for a tournament the size of the World Cup. Switzerland was not the only case, as reports indicated that the Norwegian national team also received similar warnings upon arriving at its camp in North Carolina, where the players were advised not to approach open natural areas, due to the possible spread of dangerous types of snakes in their surroundings. These developments add a new file of unexpected challenges facing the participating teams, in addition to the organizational and security aspects associated with preparing for the World Championship. Snake infestation areas next to the training center for the Swiss national team – June 5, 2026 (Swiss Football Federation) Weather imposes itself on the World Cup Climatic conditions appear to be one of the biggest challenges that the teams will face in the 2026 World Cup, in addition to the competition inside the stadium, in light of the complex geographical and climatic composition of the host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Between high temperatures and stifling humidity in some southern cities, sudden thunderstorms in large areas of the American territory, in addition to fears of a decline in air quality due to forest fires in some periods, the external environment is turning into a factor that directly affects the conduct of matches and the physical preparation of players. The United States follows very strict protocols in dealing with thunderstorms, as any outdoor sporting activity is stopped as soon as a lightning bolt is detected within a range of 13 to 16 kilometers from the stadium, with the field being evacuated and fans removed from the open stands immediately. After that, a waiting period of 30 minutes begins, restarting from scratch if any new lightning strike is detected, which may lead to the matches being stopped for long periods without a clear time limit, and the matter may extend to hours or even to a whole day in some cases. This strict system, which is strictly implemented in American tournaments, makes it possible for matches to be postponed or completed the next day, especially in light of the recurrence of severe weather phenomena during the summer, which has already appeared in previous tournaments such as the Club World Cup, which witnessed several interruptions due to thunderstorms. Concerns increase with the distribution of the cities hosting the World Cup, as many of them are located in areas considered most vulnerable to summer storms and lightning, such as Miami, Atlanta, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Boston, and New Jersey, which means that the possibility of repeating the suspension is not an exception, but rather a possible recurring scenario throughout the tournament. Even stadiums that are closed or have closed roofs will not be immune from these measures, because American laws are not limited to what happens inside the stadium, but rather take into account electrical activity in the vicinity of the area as a whole, which means that matches may stop even in the case of a closed roof if an external danger is detected. As the tournament enters a sensitive phase, such as the group stage and decisive rounds, stopping matches has a direct impact on competitive fairness, especially if some matches are completed the next day and not others, which places FIFA before an unprecedented organizational challenge to ensure equal opportunities between the teams. A message on the stadium screen asking fans to evacuate the stands due to bad weather conditions at the Club World Cup – June 20, 2025 (Reuters) In addition to storms, the heat factor emerges as an equally important danger, as it is expected that a large percentage of matches will be held in conditions classified as “extreme heat,” with temperatures exceeding 32 degrees Celsius, and an additional increase in the actual sensation of heat due to high humidity, which imposes great physical pressure on the players and increases the possibility of fatigue and a decline in physical rhythm during matches. Thus, the 2026 World Cup does not appear to be just a football test, but also a test of the ability of the teams and the International Federation to deal with harsh and complex environmental conditions that may play a role no less influential than skills and plans on the field. Protests disturb the atmosphere in Mexico The city of Mexico City is witnessing escalating tension a few days before the start of the 2026 World Cup, after thousands of demonstrators took out protests led by the teachers’ union, as the protesters closed main streets leading to the Azteca Stadium, which will host the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. These moves come as part of a strike that has been ongoing for days, demanding higher wages and reform of retirement systems, at a time when the government describes these demands as unimplementable in the form proposed. The repercussions of the protests extended to the vicinity of the most prominent sporting event, with the closure of vital roads and tension around the stadium, prompting the authorities to deploy thousands of security personnel and erect concrete barriers a kilometer away from the stadium, in an attempt to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the match site. Despite this, the Mexican government confirms that the opening match is completely “secured”, amid official calls for dialogue and avoiding escalation, while the scene remains open to the possibilities of more tension as the starting whistle approaches. Iran is in a complicated situation before the World Cup. The Iranian national football team faces a series of organizational complications before the start of the 2026 World Cup, after the Iranian Federation announced the cancellation of its share of tickets for group stage matches, in a move that came in protest against restrictions related to the attendance of Iranian fans at the stadiums in which the team will play its matches in the United States. The Iranian Federation called on the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to intervene, stressing that its fans had already begun preparing to attend the matches according to the percentage allocated to the federations (8% of the stands’ capacity), before restrictions were imposed that prevented this. The new measures affected the plans of fans who intended to attend the national team’s matches against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, and its match against Egypt in Seattle, which the federation considered a violation of the principle of equality between teams in international tournaments. The statement added that depriving fans of their right to officially purchase tickets “affects the spirit of sporting competition,” and raises questions about the interference of non-sporting considerations in organizing the tournament. The challenges did not stop with the fans, as it was decided to move the Iranian national team’s training camp from the United States to Mexico, in addition to complex travel arrangements, as the delegation is allowed to enter American territory only on match days, and to leave immediately after the end of each match, in a procedure that some described as restrictive and unprecedented. It was also noted that the granting of entry visas to some members of the delegation was delayed or delayed, which increased the state of anxiety within the Iranian Federation as the start of the tournament approached. Early challenges Although the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) confirms the readiness of the tournament and the continuation of preparations according to established plans, the repetition of these incidents before the start of the competitions gave critics an opportunity to question some of the organizational aspects of the event. As kick-off approaches, attention will remain focused on the ability of the organizing authorities to contain these problems and ensure the establishment of a tournament worthy of the size of the World Cup, especially since the 2026 edition will be the largest and most complex in the history of the competition in terms of the number of teams, stadiums and host cities. Related
