The World Cup has always sold itself as soccer’s great meeting point, where nations, cultures and ethnicities come together around the same tournament.
That idea has become more complicated in 2026. With the United States hosting much of the competition, immigration politics have been criticised by many who believe they risk making it harder for fans to be part of the event.
Now another issue has added to that debate over inclusion. FIFA’s handling of press conference languages has come under fire after Spanish questions were blocked, despite the language being official in one host country and widely spoken across North America.
Jose Ramon Fernandez slams FIFA after Spanish questions are blocked
Jose Ramon Fernandez, one of the most recognisable voices in Mexican sports journalism, has spent decades as a sharp and influential soccer commentator.
He criticised FIFA’s approach on X after clips showed Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Jr. receiving questions in Spanish, only for press staff to step in before they could answer.
Both players appeared open to hearing them, but staff asked the reporters to issue the questions in another language.
Fernandez wrote: “The 2026 World Cup boasts diversity, but a press conference for Brazil and Morocco did not allow questions in Spanish, an official language of one of the host countries and spoken by millions in North America. Incomprehensible.”
The explanation from FIFA staff was that the issue came down to translation. On those occasions, there was no support in the room to translate Spanish into the required languages, so questions in Spanish had to be stopped.
That may explain the process, but it does not remove the wider problem.
If the World Cup claims diversity, Spanish should not feel out of place in a tournament being played across Mexico, the United States and Canada.
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