As the group stages of the World Cup draw to a conclusion, it has so far been the biggest names in football grabbing the headlines.
Lionel Messi has smashed Miroslav Klose’s World Cup goalscoring record, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have been in fine form in front of goal, Vinicius Junior has sparkled as the leader of Brazil’s attack and Cristiano Ronaldo really is back after his brace against Uzbekistan.
Yet, unfortunately, some players have been attracting headlines for all the wrong reasons. A handful of stars at the World Cup have been embroiled in controversy and criticism, with their involvement in the tournament under scrutiny.
Here, Daily Mail Sport looks at the players, teams and scenarios sparking significant controversy at the 2026 World Cup…
Wahi’s visa storm
Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi arrived at the tournament in decent form, with seven goals in 15 games after making Nice his temporary home in January.
Yet he was recently wrapped up in the centre of a visa scandal after it emerged he had been arrested in May for allegations of spot-fixing in Ligue 1 matches.
Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi finally graced the pitch after being wrapped up in a visa scandal
Wahi, who started Ivory Coast’s opening 1-0 win over Ecuador, was initially denied entry into Canada, as officials delved further into his arrest, before he did eventually gain entry.
The player, contracted to Eintracht Frankfurt, sat on the bench for Ivory Coast’s late 2-1 defeat by Germany but played a key role off the bench during his country’s 2-0 victory over Curacao, making history as Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup knockout stages for the first time.
ITV’s kitchen nightmare
Whilst there is no doubting the tactical acumen of USA Women’s manager Emma Hayes, the ITV studio where she has been providing her cutting-edge analysis during hydration breaks led to much discussion.
The set where the former Chelsea boss is offering viewers her insight during games is rather unusual, with the layout resembling a kitchen – with some accusing the broadcaster of sexism. Hayes has also been using a chalkboard and tactics board to help illustrate her ideas, another aspect of the coverage which has come under fire.
Hayes appears to be very much aware of some of the comments levelled at her. During her segment for Brazil’s 3-0 win over Haiti, she quipped that she hoped ‘full attention was on the tactics board for everyone at home’.
Given ITV’s stunning Manhattan backdrop in their main studio, some considered it bizarre that they gave the seven-time WSL winner this set. Despite the impressive Hayes breaking down games in a clear and concise manner, it has been her ITV studio which has fueled significant noise.
ITV faced backlash after fans spotted Emma Hayes doing her analysis inside a studio ‘kitchen’
Doku’s Dad decision
Man City winger Jeremy Doku sparked a huge storm in Belgium and parts of Europe after he announced he intended to return home for the birth of his first child during the World Cup.
The Belgian ace hit a rich vein of form for his club towards the back end of the season and was looking to play a fundamental role for Rudi Garcia’s side, who arrived in North America with a mix of promising youngsters and the last remaining members of Belgium’s fabled ‘golden generation’.
But after starting his sides’ 1-1 draw with Egypt, Doku faced backlash in corners of Belgium and was astonishingly accused by French journalist and L’Equipe pundit France Pierron of wasting an opportunity to play at a tournament ‘hundreds of footballers would kill [for].’
Blasting his decision to return to his wife Shireen in labour, Pierron described childbirth as a ‘disgusting moment, where the dad is useless’ live on air and has since been reportedly suspended by her network over the outburst.
Meanwhile, Doku is set to return for Belgium ahead of their must-win game against New Zealand, now a father after the birth went successfully.
Man City winger Jeremy Doku sparked a huge storm in Belgium and parts of Europe after he announced he intended to return home for the birth of his first child during the World Cup
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USA’s treatment of Iran
Not just a single player this time, but a whole team. Amid Iran’s ongoing conflict with US President Donald Trump, the country’s national team were denied a training base at the World Cup in the States and were thus forced to train in Tijuana, Mexico – despite all three of their matches being held across the border.
As well as this, players and support staff were only granted 24-hours visas into the US for each game, though this has been extended to 48 hours for their crucial match against Egypt on Friday.
Despite Iran filing a formal complaint to FIFA over these restrictions, and manager Amir Ghalenoei claiming that his team are the ‘most oppressed in the World Cup’, they have not let this dampen their performances on the pitch.
Iran have picked up two draws against New Zealand and Belgium respectively and are in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages, despite jeers over their national anthem at both games.
Miggy makes unwanted history
Two players at the centre of controversial refereeing incidents have been Miguel Almiron and Assim Madibo.
Former Newcastle winger and Paraguay star man Almiron was the first player in World Cup history to fall victim to FIFA’s new rules, after he covered his mouth in a confrontation with Turkey defender Mert Muldur.
Almiron was sent off by referee Ivan Barton after a VAR check and handed a one-match ban for his side’s crucial game with Australia.
The decision was furiously criticised by Paraguayan commentator Jorge Chipi Vera, who has now lost his FIFA credentials over his outburst.
Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron was the first player in World Cup history to fall victim to FIFA’s new rules, after he covered his mouth in a confrontation with Turkey defender Mert Muldur
Meanwhile, Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was been slapped with a five-match ban from FIFA over a late tackle that resulted in promising Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone breaking his leg in awful scenes.
Madibo will be on the sidelines for a while now after Qatar were sent packing at the hands of Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday night, but Almiron has every chance of returning to the pitch at this World Cup after Paraguay drew with Australia to put themselves firmly in the race to finish as one of the best third-placed teams.
FIFA’s format frenzy
And that brings us on nicely to talk about the new format of the group stages. After Gianni Infantino got his wish for an expanded 48-team World Cup, it left the FIFA president with no option but to change the group stage’s qualification rules.
For the first time ever at the World Cup, a round of 32 will take place with the eight best third place teams joining the winners and runners-up of all 12 groups. This change has come under intense scrutiny, particularly in these final rounds of group matches.
A lack of jeopardy has been cited as a fundamental flaw in the new system. Last night Paraguay and Australia played out a dull 0-0 draw, safe in the knowledge that both teams would likely guarantee themselves qualification to the knockout stages. And on Saturday night, we have been left with a very bizarre situation.
Austria face Algeria in the final game of Group J, a fixture which evokes intense memories of ‘The Disgrace of Gijon’, where Algeria were eliminated from the 1982 World Cup after Austria tamely fell to a 1-0 defeat to West Germany, allowing safe passage for both teams.
Gianni Infantino and FIFA’s new World Cup format is currently coming under huge scrutiny
This game should in theory be a thriller, with Austria looking to cement themselves in second place and Algeria seeking revenge for all that pain many years ago.
And yet we have been left in a situation where both teams may prefer to lose. Second place in Group L will likely book the runners-up an encounter with European champions Spain, whilst third place could potentially leave an easier fixture.
Austria may now feel that avoiding La Roja is the preferable route for them, and Algeria would potentially also favour a draw or narrow defeat as it could land them a tie on the other side of the draw.
It’s worth mentioning that Algeria would be left with egg on their face if they lose by more than a single goal deficit, as it would almost certainly lead to them finishing outside the World Cup’s top eight in the third place rankings – and thus eliminated.
Overall, a draw would be best for them as it would likely see them go through as Group J’s third place team and Austria advance as the runners up.
But this isn’t the only format change that has sparked up controversy. With head-to-head record now superseding goal difference as the tiebreaker between teams, many final group games have been branded ‘dead rubbers’.
After Turkey lost their first two games, their thrilling late win over co-hosts USA was left completely redundant, while Haiti had only pride to play for in their lively 4-2 defeat by Morocco.
With head-to-head record preferred to goal difference, it is rare we get all four teams in a group jostling position on the final day. Who could forget those spectacular five minutes in 2022, when Costa Rica and Japan were advancing at the expense of Germany and Spain.
This new format may yet lead to more exhilarating knockout football, but the changes introduced are driving debate and could well be a topic of conversation for tournaments to come.
