The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been largely tarnished by greed witnessed in the United States.
A mere box of potato and cheese dumplings, oh, and a beer, cost supporters as much as £34 as France recorded a 3-0 win over Iraq in Group I earlier in the competition.
At the Toronto Stadium, a brisket sandwich – along with a bottle of Coca Cola and a packet of crisps – even cost $39.83 Canadian dollars, roughly £21.
It has been reported that FIFA could end up making $312m (£243m) in total from the sales of refreshments once all 104 World Cup matches are over.
FIFA are set to SMASH their revenue record for a single World Cup. Is this financial growth good for the game? Or is the end of the World Cup we all know and love?
'Hydration breaks', sky-high ticket prices, the Infantino-Trump bromance… is this the way forward?
Now – as posted by Rory Smith of The Observer on X (previously known as Twitter) – this World Cup commercialism has hit a new low as stadium presenters resort to advertising items in the club shop on the big screen in true QVC style.
Dallas Stadium presenters go “full QVC” before Egypt vs Australia
As those inside the Dallas Stadium prepared for the Round of 32 clash between Australia and Egypt, the stadium presenters were busy trying to sell more rubbish to fans instead of helping to build up the atmosphere.
Smith claims that phrases such as “these do sell out” and “such great quality” could be heard ringing around the Dallas Stadium as footage was beamed out to fans of items inside the club shop, with two presenters discussing the products in “full QVC” style as the respected journalist put it.
Can’t supporters go one moment without having some sort of product pushed upon them?
The price of transport has skyrocketed for fans, while FIFA have even been selling parking passes in Los Angeles for between $250 (£187) and $300 (£224) – pure exploitation in every sense of the word.
Football has been heading this way for a number of years now, but the commercialism of the sport has never been as obnoxiously boisterous as it currently is at this World Cup.
Gianni Infantino, you have a lot to answer for once this tournament comes to an end.
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