Hours before the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, the Council of Europe — a 46-nation human rights body — publicly questioned the integrity of the tournament and urged FIFA to build a stronger regulatory framework for the 2030 edition. In an open letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary General Alain Berset cited two scandals undermining the credibility of world football.
The first involves the controversial reversal of a red card suspension for United States forward Folarin Balogun following pressure from President Donald Trump on Infantino. The US subsequently lost 4-1 to Belgium in the round of 16. "When the rules bend under pressure, every result is open to doubt," Berset wrote. "Political influence has also moved onto the field. The sanction suspended mid-tournament came after a head of state called the president of FIFA."
The second concerns FIFA's $150 million sponsorship deal with ADI Predictstreet, a prediction market company created just one week before the agreement. Berset described it as "an open door to fraud," noting that prediction betting rewards insider information, allowing wagers on "moments a single player can produce without changing the score." FIFA also has additional commercial agreements with the gambling industry for this World Cup.
