About this episode

The episode discusses the political dimensions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup amidst global tensions and national interests.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolded against a backdrop of geopolitical tension, trade disputes, and competing national ambitions. But did these politics shape the tournament more than in previous years? Max Bergmann, Victor Cha, and Enoh Ebong join Will to assess the geopolitical dimensions of this year's World Cup in a live episode of State of Play. They examine how host nation diplomacy, soft power competition, and economic interests played out on and off the pitch, and what the tournament revealed about the emerging world order. Gretchen Scott and Andrew Friedman, "Protecting Human Rights at the World Cup: Progress on Paper, Gaps on the Ground," CSIS, July 15, 2026. Victor Cha and Andy Lim, "The 2026 World Cup: Sports and Conflict," CSIS, June 10, 2026.

People in this episode

Host: Will

Guests: Max Bergmann, Victor Cha, Enoh Ebong

Topics covered

• geopolitical tension
• FIFA World Cup
• national ambitions
• host nation diplomacy
• soft power competition
• economic interests
• emerging world order

Keywords

• FIFA World Cup
• geopolitics
• soft power
• human rights
• sports and conflict
• national diplomacy
• economic interests

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Center for Strategic and International Studies

Books & works: Protecting Human Rights at the World Cup: Progress on Paper, Gaps on the Ground, The 2026 World Cup: Sports and Conflict

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