The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been a raging success, judging by the numbers, the atmosphere and the absence of any major security incident.

It’s ironic, then, that officials from the powerful European nations are pushing for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s resignation despite him pulling off one of the globe’s great spectacles.

This 39-day celebration of soccer took place despite myriad geopolitical fears, border disputes, and visa crises blighting the tournament’s buildup.

Read more: Spain completely dominates Argentina in one-sided World Cup final

There were a few major scandals

There were controversies, as you’d expect.

Three months before the event began, the United States – staging 78 of the 104 matches – started a war with one of the competing nations: Iran. One can only imagine the frantic negotiations behind closed doors that enabled Iran to play all three of its group games on US soil.

The president of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, requested FIFA relocate the team’s home base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, just across the border. This allowed Taj and other officials – banned from entering the US because of their allegiance to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (listed as a terrorist organisation in countries such as the US, Canada and Australia) – to stay with the team as it prepared for matches.

Many were later shocked when FIFA-selected Somali referee Omar Artan was banned from entering the........

© The Conversation