In February, U.S. President Donald Trump described Bad Bunny’s performance as “an affront to the greatness and standards” of his country. For the first time, a Super Bowl halftime show was conducted entirely in Spanish.
At a time when anti-immigrant policies were gaining alarming momentum, raising one’s voice in Spanish dealt a powerful blow to the controversial leader.
Five months later, the world’s biggest sporting event is drawing to a close in the New York area, at the home stadium of the NFL’s Giants and Jets.
The 2026 World Cup final will once again be conducted entirely in Spanish, as Argentina and Spain vie for the coveted FIFA Cup.
The United States—home to nearly 53 million immigrants—co-hosted this World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada. Despite the U.S. serving as a host nation, press conferences held on American soil during the early matches saw Spanish banned.
It all began when Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Vinícius (Brazil), and Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands) were not permitted to answer in Spanish, even though they speak the language. This was due to an issue involving FIFA’s app and interpreters.
Subsequently, following an outcry, the governing body incorporated Spanish into all its press conferences. The irony is that now, as the world title is decided, any language might be considered “dispensable”—except Spanish.
