# Soccer: The one-month countdown to the 2026 World Cup gets under way on Monday. A record 48 teams and millions of fans are set to descend on the United States, Canada and Mexico for the first ever World Cup co-hosted by three nations. The skyrocketing cost of tickets for the tournament has triggered a global backlash with FIFA scrambling to manage the public relations fallout. Meanwhile Human Rights Watch has said the World Cup risks being defined by “exclusion and fear” due to Donald Trump’s crackdowns on immigration, demonstrations and press freedom, while Amnesty International warned the tournament could become a stage for repression.
Soccer: World Cup one-month countdown begins