Why Claudia Sheinbaum’s World Cup stand is shaking FIFA, Trump, and the U.S.–Mexico political arena
Mexico is a football-mad country, but its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is a woman of principle. Her fight against the power elites is evident throughout her term, and although she faces millions of criticisms, she doesn’t back down from what she considers right.
The leaders of FIFA, the organization that governs the world’s most popular sport, have been known for handling ‘shady’ interests, supporting violent dictatorships by offering them the hosting rights for their tournaments (as in the case of Argentina in 1978 when it was under a military dictatorship), and in many other instances.
Sheinbaum has sparked controversy by announcing that she will not attend the opening ceremony of next year’s World Cup; she will give her ticket to an indigenous girl who loves football. With this, she sends several messages: a World Cup should be a people’s celebration, to which society as a whole has a right, and it should be independent of the elites who control FIFA.
As of today, it’s not certain that Claudia, as she’s popularly known in Mexico, will attend the World Cup draw to be held in Washington this Friday; she has only said, “I think I will go.” For many presidents, this would be a historic opportunity to “get their picture taken” and assume a prominence they don’t want.
The FIFA president has shown a subservient attitude toward US President Donald Trump. Tomorrow, if Sheinbaum attends, Trump will have two presidents who are not aligned with him by his side: the Mexican president and Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister.
The Mexican president added that the possibility of meeting with her US counterpart remains, but noted that “if it happens, it would be a very brief meeting.”
The sporting event is taking place at a time of tension between the three partner countries in the USMCA due to Trump’s tariff threats. So far, Sheinbaum has managed to convince the Republican magnate not to impose a generalized tariff on Mexican exports, 80% of which are destined for the United States.
In return, her government has deployed military personnel to the shared border and increased arrests to curb drug trafficking to the neighboring country.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to be held in three countries and will debut a new format with 48 participating teams.
The draw will be held at the prestigious Kennedy Center.
This is not the first time a public figure has offered some resistance to FIFA; the late Diego Armando Maradona was a staunch opponent of what he called the “football mafia.” Maradona did not receive a US visa and was banned from the country, which the Argentine star accepted with dignity: ‘The world welcomes me, I don’t need to go to that country, which does so much damage to the world.’
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