FIFA Took World Cup 2026 Matches Away From the U.S., Here’s What Changed and Why

[Content Provider]

So much for MAGA. https://journeyamerica.wordpress.co...away-from-the-u-s-heres-what-changed-and-why/

 

[TonyTigre]

1. Clickbaits are unethical and immoral, therefore those who use them show their "lack of morals." However, I think being a hypocrite is even worse than being immoral.

2. There is no justification to link MAGA with FIFA's decision to 'reduce' the number of games in the US when the cities that were not on schedule, withdrawn, or passed over for hosting games were Democrat run cities.

 

[Content Provider]

1. Clickbaits are unethical and immoral, therefore those who use them show their "lack of morals." However, I think being a hypocrite is even worse than being immoral.

2. There is no justification to link MAGA with FIFA's decision to 'reduce' the number of games in the US when the cities that were not on schedule, withdrawn, or passed over for hosting games were Democrat run cities.

You’re mixing two different things here, and neither one really touches what the article actually said.
Calling it “clickbait” isn’t an argument. That’s just a label. The piece walks through actual issues FIFA has been dealing with—stadium negotiations with private owners, security planning across federal, state, and local agencies, and the whole visa/travel mess that comes up when millions of people from all over the world need to enter the country at the same time. You can hate the headline if you want, but that doesn’t make those problems disappear.
And the MAGA point wasn’t about which party runs a city. That’s not how this works. The article was talking about national-level stuff—immigration debates, travel rules, the international attention around U.S. border policy. When FIFA looks at a host country, they’re thinking about how easy it’ll be for fans, teams, media, everybody to actually get in and move around. They’re not checking which mayor belongs to which party.
Also, the article never said MAGA politics were the only reason matches got shifted. Not even close. It laid out several things happening at the same time: slower stadium negotiations in some places, more complicated security coordination, visa uncertainty. Big tournaments run on tight timelines. If one country looks smoother on a few key checkpoints, FIFA adjusts. That’s what organizations like that do.
So yeah, disagree with the take if you want. Totally fair. But at least argue with the points that were actually made instead of turning it into a partisan fight the article wasn’t making in the first place.

 

[VINO]

It will be fun to see MAGA burn in flames after this war drags on. Keep up the good work Jerry.

 

[JeffR]

1. Clickbaits are unethical and immoral, therefore those who use them show their "lack of morals." However, I think being a hypocrite is even worse than being immoral.

2. There is no justification to link MAGA with FIFA's decision to 'reduce' the number of games in the US when the cities that were not on schedule, withdrawn, or passed over for hosting games were Democrat run cities.

I hate click bait.

 

[I Love Mate]

You’re mixing two different things here, and neither one really touches what the article actually said.
Calling it “clickbait” isn’t an argument. That’s just a label. The piece walks through actual issues FIFA has been dealing with—stadium negotiations with private owners, security planning across federal, state, and local agencies, and the whole visa/travel mess that comes up when millions of people from all over the world need to enter the country at the same time. You can hate the headline if you want, but that doesn’t make those problems disappear.
And the MAGA point wasn’t about which party runs a city. That’s not how this works. The article was talking about national-level stuff—immigration debates, travel rules, the international attention around U.S. border policy. When FIFA looks at a host country, they’re thinking about how easy it’ll be for fans, teams, media, everybody to actually get in and move around. They’re not checking which mayor belongs to which party.
Also, the article never said MAGA politics were the only reason matches got shifted. Not even close. It laid out several things happening at the same time: slower stadium negotiations in some places, more complicated security coordination, visa uncertainty. Big tournaments run on tight timelines. If one country looks smoother on a few key checkpoints, FIFA adjusts. That’s what organizations like that do.
So yeah, disagree with the take if you want. Totally fair. But at least argue with the points that were actually made instead of turning it into a partisan fight the article wasn’t making in the first place.

I thought Trump was going to make it easier for Argentines to come in without visas to watch the games. They need to allow visa free travel for Argentines to the USA.

 

[Content Provider]

I thought Trump was going to make it easier for Argentines to come in without visas to watch the games. They need to allow visa free travel for Argentines to the USA.

I get why you’d want that. If you’re an Argentine soccer fan, visa-free travel to the U.S. for the World Cup sounds like a dream.

But here’s the thing — it’s not something a president can just flip on like a light switch.

The U.S. has something called the Visa Waiver Program. Countries don’t just get added because everyone agrees it would be nice. There’s a checklist. Security cooperation, passport standards, visa overstay rates — a whole stack of bureaucratic boxes that have to be checked.

And here’s the part most people forget.

Argentina actually used to be in that program back in the 1990s. Argentines could travel to the U.S. without a visa. Then the 2001 economic crisis hit. A lot of people overstayed visas. The U.S. pulled Argentina out of the program, and it’s basically stayed that way ever since.

I remember talking to a guy in a café here in Buenos Aires during the last World Cup. Big Messi jersey, the whole thing. He told me he wanted to go to the U.S. in 2026 but the visa process alone made him hesitate. Appointments, paperwork, waiting months… it takes the fun out of planning a trip.

So yeah, in theory it would be great if Argentines could travel visa-free again, especially with the World Cup coming.

But let’s be honest. That kind of change usually takes years of negotiations between governments. It’s not something any politician — Trump or anyone else — can promise and deliver overnight.

Still, you never know. Big events sometimes push countries to rethink things.

And a World Cup tends to do that.

 

[Dick]

I thought Trump was going to make it easier for Argentines to come in without visas to watch the games. They need to allow visa free travel for Argentines to the USA.

Only about 8% of the people get rejected from Argentina anyway. I'm told very easy to get.