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The FIFA World Cup twenty twenty-six is being played in three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is the first World Cup with forty-eight teams, and it has already had some big surprises. Turkey beat the United States in the last minute of the game — the host country's first defeat in the tournament.
But the World Cup is not only about football. From the very beginning, the competition has had many problems.
First, US visa rules caused difficulties for fans from many countries. Citizens of thirty-nine nations, including some whose teams are in the tournament, could not easily get visas to enter the United States. One Iraqi footballer was held at Chicago airport for seven hours. A referee from Somalia was not allowed to enter the country at all.
Second, there were protests inside and outside the stadiums. In Toronto, activists put a large banner over the World Cup logo, asking FIFA to remove Israel from the football organisation. Inside stadiums, some Iranian fans waved Israeli flags and chanted slogans against their government.
FIFA allowed rainbow flags inside the stadiums as a symbol of human rights.
The World Cup is still the biggest sporting event on the planet. But this year, the real world has clearly entered the stadium.
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