World Cup faces backlash over “colonial optics”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup came under intense scrutiny this week after cultural critics claimed the tournament had become indistinguishable from a European history textbook. Activists have accused FIFA of promoting “systemic colonial narratives” through its tournament bracket and match scheduling. 

Suspicion first arose after Spain, England, France, Belgium and Portugal all made deep runs in a tournament hosted across North America — a continent whose history remains deeply intertwined with European colonialism.

Activist Maya Thermopoulos weighed into the conversation in a passionate Substack post. 

“It started as soccer, then suddenly I was watching Imperialism 101. Spain back in Mexico playing a match, England winning battles across its former colony? I believe I’ve seen this before in my world history textbook,” Thermopoulos wrote. 

This sentiment has taken root all over the world. The hashtag #CancelColonialCup has begun trending on most social media platforms and has surpassed two billion impressions. 

Critics argued the tournament’s results revealed a deliberate effort by FIFA to normalize colonial nostalgia. Spain reaching the final, England and France the semifinals and Belgium the quarterfinals seems to point towards pro-colonial messaging. 

“At one point, the quarterfinals looked like the guest list for the Berlin Conference,” political commentator Liam Foster said.

FIFA officials defended the tournament, dismissing allegations that it favored former colonial powers.

“The rules of soccer are apolitical, which means the winners of matches are completely dependent on skill. Additionally, the bracket is randomly generated, meaning any ‘patterns’ among the victors are purely coincidental. A goal is a goal regardless of whether your country once controlled the Eastern Seaboard,” FIFA spokesperson Marco Rossi said.

For some critics, the issue extended beyond the scoreboard. They argued referees repeatedly ignored rough play and blatant fouls committed by former colonial powers, reopening generational trauma and serving as yet another reminder of those nations’ histories of conquest and violence.

Following this international discourse regarding the results of the 2026 World Cup, and the ulterior motives of the FIFA organization, activists have released a list of demands for FIFA, including: 

1. All future brackets must undergo a diversity, equity and inclusion audit before the Round of 16 to ensure fair representation amongst the nations, regardless of actually winning the match. 
2. Former colonial powers must begin every match trailing 2-0 in order to account for their innate privileges and to enable fair game play. 
3. Referees must undergo “violence prevention and anti-harassment in the workplace” training to ensure they are able to empathetically provide guidance to players. 
4. Minority teams will be prioritized when making the brackets, getting first pick of who they’d like to play against in matches. 
5. The host country must sign a public consent form to set boundaries and create open communication with visiting teams. 

FIFA has reportedly acknowledged receipt of the demands and plans to address them sometime after never.

Serrano Ham didn’t even know the World Cup was happening.