FIFA President Gianni Infantino has published an open letter accusing critics of the 2026 World Cup of spreading hate and false narratives, telling them to "take a moment to reflect, meditate or pray" (Mirror).

The letter, reported by The Guardian and independently confirmed by Reuters on July 27, 2026, defends the tournament as a celebration of unity, safety, and inclusion (The Guardian; Reuters). Infantino declared that the World Cup "destroyed every record" as the first edition to feature 48 teams — a format that expanded the field from the previous 32 (FIFA). Spain lifted the trophy, capping a tournament staged across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Not everything ran smoothly. Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was barred from entering the United States during the tournament despite holding a valid visa. Iran's national team also faced travel restrictions imposed by the US government. Both incidents drew scrutiny to the gap between Infantino's language of inclusion and the reality on the ground. FIFA has not publicly detailed how it resolved either case.

Infantino also pointed to the scale of the tournament's digital operation, noting that FIFA moderated more than 53 million posts and comments during the World Cup (FIFA). That figure — a measure of the volume of fan discussion across official FIFA channels — gives a sense of just how much conversation a 48-team, three-country tournament generates, and how much of it FIFA felt it needed to police.

The open letter's tone is what grabs attention. Calling criticism "hate" and inviting detractors to meditate or pray is a strikingly personal response from the head of football's global governing body. It reads less like a measured rebuttal and more like a man who feels the tournament he championed — bigger than any before it, spread across an entire continent — did not get the credit he believes it deserved.

For fans, the 2026 World Cup delivered on the pitch: more teams, more matches, more storylines, and a Spanish side that came through it all. Off the pitch, the questions Infantino is so eager to bat away — about visas denied, travel restrictions imposed, and the gap between tournament rhetoric and tournament reality — are not going away because the president told his critics to pray. They are the kind that linger long after the final whistle.