Three Tournaments, One Cup: North America’s World Cup Frays
North America’s 2026 World Cup was intended as a continental showcase, but diverging immigration rules, security regimes, and funding across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are turning it into three parallel tournaments. FIFA remains the glue, yet political frictions—including a looming USMCA deadline and Trump-era tensions—are creating budgetary strains and uneven human-rights commitments across host cities, complicating preparations for the event.