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Jared & Ivanka Conquer Albanian Island

Explore episode Jun 10, 2026
Sports
The World Cup's Dark Side: Visas Denied, Referee Turned Away, Iran Forced to Commute

Jared & Ivanka Conquer Albanian Island · Jun 10, 2026 Sports

The top African referee was denied entry at Miami airport. Haitian fans were turned away. Iranian players must commute from Mexico for their US games. Somalia's African Referee of the Year was rejected, seemingly for his nationality. The World Cup is supposed to showcase America — instead, it's showcasing casual racism and petty geopolitics.

Where this was said

The 2026 FIFA World Cup: Scale, Controversies, and Trump's PR Machine

At 34:10 · chapter starts 30:20

The 2026 World Cup is a record-setter: 48 teams, three host countries (the US, Mexico, and Canada), 16 cities, and 39 days of competition with up to six games per day at peak. But the hosts have a long list of grievances. ICE will be deployed at venues under the banner of fighting counterfeit merchandise and human trafficking — a framing Tommy and Ben dismiss as cover for immigration intimidation. The Iranian team has been forced to base itself in Mexico and commute to US games. Somalia's African Referee of the Year, Omar Artan, was denied entry at Miami Airport. Haitian fans were denied visas. African journalists have struggled to get credentials. FIFA's own financial model, which Tommy explains through his conversation with Rahm Emanuel (who turned down hosting games in Chicago as mayor), extracts ticketing, broadcasting, sponsorship, concessions, and parking revenue while leaving host cities to pay for transportation, security, and even free Fan Fests. Several cities have cancelled their Fan Fests because they can't afford them. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, meanwhile, gave Trump a FIFA Peace Prize. Ben predicts this is a dry run for Trump inserting himself into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

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