The World Cup starts this Thursday (11) with a record number of teams, changes to the rules and games in three different countries. There is a lot of news, but what took over discussions about the World Cup in recent days were the hostile gestures from one of the hosts: the United States.
Omar Artan, a Somali referee who was on his way to the World Cup, was prevented from entering the country; the Senegal team was subjected to a rigorous review when it landed in North Carolina; the Iranian Federation accuses Washington of suspending the ticket quota for Iranian fans; and one of the Iraqi national team’s key players was interrogated for more than seven hours by American authorities.
The cases reflect the Donald Trump administration’s anti-immigration policy. This Wednesday (10), the American president was questioned and said he was working to ensure that the right people enter the country. According to him, the 2026 World Cup will be the best in history.
This Thursday’s Café da Manhã (11) talks with Matias Pinto, presenter of the podcasts Xadrez Verbal and Fronteiras Invisíveis do Futebol, and with the envoy of Sheet Marcos Guedes, about what to expect from the 2026 World Cup and how Donald Trump’s policies are already interfering with the legacy of the World Cup.
The audio program is published on Spotify, Folha’s partner streaming service in the initiative and which specializes in music, podcasts and video. You can listen to the episode by clicking above. To access the app, simply register for free.
Café da Manhã is published from Monday to Friday, always at the beginning of the day. The episode is presented by journalists Magê Flores and Gustavo Simon, with production by Gustavo Luiz, Jéssica Cruz and Laura Lewer. Sound editing is by Raphael Concli.
