Opinion: As World Cup host, the US is sportsmaxxing through war and genocide As the 2026 Fifa  World Cup  kicks off in North America, the tournament is already living up to expectations of a hostile and exclusionary reception by its main host nation. With dozens of national teams from around the globe descending on the  United States  for the tournament, reports are already surfacing of harassment of players at US airports and denials of visas for federation staff members, foreign journalists and fans. This treatment comes mere weeks after more than 120 rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International, issued an unprecedented  travel warning  for visitors to this summer's games, citing gun violence, violent immigration enforcement, invasive surveillance and what it described as a "deteriorating human rights situation".