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‘The World Cup of Chaos’ Has Arrived

The North America-hosted tournament starts Thursday after a lead-up that has included athletes and officials being questioned and, in some cases, turned away.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“Maybe it’s good to just chill, relax,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, in part, about the response to a Somali referee not being allowed to enter the U.S. Eduardo Verdugo/AP

By Jesse Dougherty

June 11, 2026 05:19 a.m.

In the digital era, a global sporting event’s main export is its headlines, which is why it’s been a rough week for anyone trying to frame the World Cup as unifying, no matter how many kind old folks in Lawrence, Kansas, welcomed the Algerian national team outside the town’s Double Tree Hotel, where the Algerians will stay for the tournament, free warm cookies included.

This World Cup is also the World Cup of Mad Libs for Extremely American Sentences, 2026 Edition. Some other recent entries:

A decorated Somali ref named Omar Artan was denied entry into the country at Miami International Airport on Monday and will no longer work the tournament.