This World Cup redefines binge-watching. More, please

June 26, 2026 — 7:28pm

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It’s good to be wrong.

There is still plenty of time for FIFA boss Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump to disgrace themselves personally, but not even those tinpot twins have enough power or hubris to wreck the World Cup.

So far, the tournament has been a persuasive argument for sport.

Forecasts of disaster were, it appears, exaggerated. Players and fans have been largely able to travel unmolested.

Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry into the US before the tournament, but that has been an exception, not part of a pattern of persecution of World Cup participants (if a different story for non-participants).

Far from being empty, stadiums have throbbed with enthusiasts from around the globe.

FIFA’s ticket prices only seemed to be prohibitive. With America being the land of flexible pricing, who knows how much fans actually paid for their seats, but whatever the cost, it didn’t keep them out.

From all reports, the American hospitality is a reminder that 150 million US adults did not vote for xenophobia and insularity in 2024. The welcome has been warm.

Whoever thought it could be safer to be in a soccer crowd than among the American golf hooligans who are making a mess of that sport?

The American hospitality has been a reminder of the adage: a regime does not define a country. Mexico and Canada have been, as predicted,........

© Brisbane Times