World Cup
World Cup 2030 an opportunity for sponsors to build reach, say experts
Holding the 2030 World Cup in six countries could cause logistical headaches but a tournament on three continents will be viewed as a boon by sponsors and advertisers seeking to expand their brands globally, sports marketing experts have said.
FIFA allocated the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal and Morocco last week but also said Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay would host three matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.
“It’s going to be a mess for the players and for anyone who wants to attend games,” Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing expert and creative director at Pinnacle Advertising, told Reuters.
“But for advertisers, it may be an opportunity because they now have three continents in which they can build their market. Most of the sponsors are global brands, so they’re looking to build markets around the world.
“It’s also great for newer advertisers, who may be a little more regional and looking to expand. South American companies may just want to focus on those three games in their region, but they may also want to build a brand in North Africa or Europe.”
Victor Matheson, sports economist at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, said the 2030 World Cup proposal was “extremely well done” on FIFA’s part.
“It’s hard to find anything to criticise about this particular event,” Matheson said.
“I would suspect the sponsors are definitely looking forward to this a lot more than they were looking forward to Qatar.”
The decision to award Qatar hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup was marred by controversy, including allegations of corruption and human rights violations.
BEER BACK ON TAP
The World Cup in Qatar also had to contend with strict controls on alcohol. Two days before the tournament kicked off, Budweiser, the official beer of the World Cup, had taps at stadiums turned off by Qatari officials.
“Budweiser were not at all happy with a world where they couldn’t actually sell their primary product in the host country, and that being a last minute decision,” he said, adding that Spain, Portugal and Morocco are “super safe choices”.
“I think all these sponsors have a lot more history and a lot more comfort with Spain and Portugal where they don’t need to do a whole lot to promote it.
“All major sponsors are much happier with countries that they’re more comfortable associating with… Spain and Portugal have very good reputations. Morocco is a little bit more unknown, but it certainly doesn’t have a negative reputation.”
Like Qatar, Morocco is an Arab nation with a majority Muslim population.
But it is considered one of the most liberal countries in North Africa and has often hosted international cinema and music festivals as well as sports events.
Morocco were named hosts of the 2025 African Cup of Nations last month and they also want to host the 2030 final in Casablanca.
‘MORE LENIENT’
Morocco’s tourism revenue is expected to reach a record 115 billion dirhams ($11.24 billion) in 2023, exceeding pre-COVID levels, according to central bank expectations.
“Morocco is more lenient when it comes to accommodating Western lifestyles than Qatar,” said Vijay Setlur, a sports marketing expert with Schulich School of Business.
“I don’t expect the restrictions to be as stringent in Morocco.
“One of the reasons Qatar received criticism was the conditions of workers who built stadiums, but in Morocco there won’t be stadium-building projects on the same scale. Morocco will probably be refurbishing existing stadiums.”
The decision to host the tournament across three continents also attracted criticism from climate experts, but Dorfman said the scale of the World Cup would take precedence for sponsors over political or climate issues.
“Like it or not, that’s what ends up happening and everyone in the end remembers how great Lionel Messi was and how Argentina won the World Cup,” he said.
-Reuters
The United States will continue to assess the Iran squad’s travel arrangements at the World Cup but for now the original plan remains in place despite the team saying they would lodge a complaint with FIFA, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, told Reuters on Saturday.
Iran are unhappy at restrictions that mean they can only travel to venues within 24 hours of their fixtures and must depart back to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, directly after each game, with coach Amir Ghalenoei suggesting his side were “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup”.
Giuliani, however, says the situation is fluid, and they will discuss what measures will be in place for Iran’s third game against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, after they meet with Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday.
“The situation is dynamic,” Giuliani said in an exclusive interview in Houston. “We have a plan right now. Tomorrow afternoon (after the match against Belgium), they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana.
“We will see how it goes for match two, and then there will be discussions the day after in terms of what it looks like for match three in Seattle.”
Giuliani defended the measures in place and said the pre-tournament change in training bases for the side from Tucson to Tijuana had shortened Iran’s travel time.
“The shift from Tucson to Tijuana, I think, was good for everybody involved; certainly it reduces their travel time to Los Angeles too,” he said. “Their flight is an hour shorter than it would be from Tucson. And we’re happy with the way that things went for match one in Los Angeles.
“I would just point to the fact that all players have received visas. All the coaches have received visas. There are some team officials who have not received visas, and that’s because we’ve seen some derogatory information on them, and this is the balance that we talk about.”
PROTECTING INTERESTS OF U.S.
Giuliani said the goal has always been to protect the interests of the United States and the international visitors at the World Cup.
“We want to make sure we have this incredible soccer tournament, where people are welcome and enjoy the World Cup, while also making sure that we are not just protecting American citizens, but we’re also protecting all those international visitors that are coming here,” he said.
He revealed that no threats to the tournament had been identified, but that officials remain vigilant.
“What I can tell you is our intelligence community has tripled down on this since the beginning of this year,” he said. “We’re in discussions every hour on it. But there have been no credible threats at this moment.”
Giuliani has been pleased with the opening 10 days of the World Cup.
“Things are going as planned,” he said. “It’s been fantastic to see the great play on the pitch, which seems to be the majority of the conversation, which has been fantastic.
“I think this is an amazing celebration of America over our 250th birthday, with the World Cup being the incredible highlight.”
-Reuters
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK.
Japanese fans once again won hearts at the FIFA World Cup, turning a night of football celebration into another demonstration of a culture that has become as famous as the Samurai Blue themselves.
Moments after Japan’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Tunisia in Monterrey on Saturday — a match that marked the 1,000th fixture in World Cup history — thousands of Japanese supporters remained in the stands, not to continue their celebrations, but to clean up the stadium.
Armed with rubbish bags, fans moved through the terraces collecting discarded cups, food wrappers and other litter, continuing a tradition that has become one of the most admired sights at major international tournaments.
The practice, known in Japan as “gomi hiroi” (picking up litter), reflects a deep-rooted cultural value of taking responsibility for shared spaces and leaving them in better condition than they were found.
For 30-year-old supporter Ken Okawa, attending his first World Cup was an opportunity not only to cheer his national team but also to represent an important aspect of Japanese culture.
“We are guests in Mexico,” he said while gathering rubbish around his seat. “I have been treated wonderfully, so this is my way of showing my appreciation.”
The sight was hardly surprising to many Japanese supporters. In Japan, children are taught from an early age to clean their own classrooms and school environments, a practice designed to instil discipline, responsibility and respect for communal spaces.
Miku Takeya, 41, explained that the habit has become second nature.
“It’s a natural part of our culture,” she said. “We do this to ensure that everything we use is left clean so that the next person can use it comfortably.”
Japanese supporters first captured global attention at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia when they stayed behind to clean the Rostov Arena after Japan’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16. Despite the heartbreak of conceding a late winner and crashing out of the tournament, fans quietly collected rubbish from the stands before leaving the stadium.
The gesture was widely praised around the world and highlighted that, for many Japanese fans, respect and civic responsibility are not dependent on the result of a football match.
Japanese fans tidy the terraces following Japan’s emphatic 4-0 win over Tunisia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F encounter at Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico, on June 21, 2026, showcasing the culture of respect and responsibility for shared spaces that has become synonymous with their World Cup presence. (Photo by Eloisa Sanchez/Reuters)
Since then, scenes of Japanese supporters cleaning stadiums have become a familiar feature at international tournaments, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and now the 2026 edition in North America.
The tradition has attracted such attention in Mexico that Nuevo León Governor Samuel García reportedly arranged for 20,000 rubbish bags to be distributed at Monterrey’s stadium, fan zones and tourist sites following requests from Japanese supporters.
Yet many fans insist there is nothing extraordinary about their actions.
“It’s common sense in Japan,” said 27-year-old Ichiro Oyo.
Still, others acknowledge the pride they feel in seeing a simple cultural practice resonate globally.
“I think it is a matter of great pride that this is being showcased in a stadium like this, where people from all over the world are watching,” said supporter Ryo Matsuoka, 32.
As Japan celebrated a landmark victory that strengthened their hopes of reaching the knockout stage, their supporters once again delivered a reminder that their contribution to the World Cup extends beyond football. Whether in victory or defeat, Japanese fans have made cleanliness, respect and gratitude part of their enduring World Cup legacy.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK.
Morocco’s Ismael Saibari may not have broken the FIFA World Cup record for the fastest goal, but his lightning strike against Scotland has earned a place among the standout moments of the 2026 tournament and helped propel the Atlas Lions to the top of Group C.
Saibari stunned Scotland by finding the net just 69 seconds after kick-off in Morocco’s 1-0 victory on Friday, giving Walid Regragui’s side a priceless three points and strengthening their prospects of reaching the knockout stages.
The midfielder’s early breakthrough immediately sparked debate among fans and pundits, with many wondering whether it was the fastest goal of the tournament and where it ranked among the quickest strikes in World Cup history.
A look through the tournament’s record books reveals that the all-time mark remains safely in the hands of former Turkish striker Hakan Şükür, who scored after just 11 seconds in Turkey’s 3-2 victory over South Korea in the third-place match at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.
Şükür’s goal, officially timed at 10.8 seconds, came after Turkey forced an error straight from kick-off before the prolific striker calmly beat goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae.
Saibari’s goal, created by an incisive pass from Brahim Díaz before the midfielder powered home from inside the penalty area, does not threaten that long-standing record. However, it ranks among the fastest goals seen at the current tournament and underlines Morocco’s growing reputation as one of the most dynamic teams in the competition.
Only Paraguay’s Matías Galarza scored quicker during the second round of group matches, finding the net after 64 seconds in his country’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Turkey. Paraguay ended a 16-year wait for a World Cup win despite playing the entire second half with ten men after Miguel Almirón was sent off under FIFA’s new regulations for covering his mouth.
For Morocco, however, the significance of Saibari’s strike extends beyond statistics.
The goal proved decisive against a Scottish side that struggled to recover from the early setback as the Atlas Lions controlled proceedings and secured a victory that lifted them to the summit of Group C.
While Saibari remains some distance from the elite list of the fastest goals in World Cup history—headed by Şükür, followed by Czechoslovakia’s Václav Mašek (15 seconds), Germany’s Ernst Lehner (24 seconds), England’s Bryan Robson (28 seconds) and American Clint Dempsey (30 seconds)—his effort has already become one of the defining moments of Morocco’s campaign.
With four points from two matches and momentum building, Morocco will be less concerned with record books than with extending their stay in North America. Yet Saibari’s explosive start against Scotland has ensured that his name will be remembered among the quickest marksmen of World Cup 2026.
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