FIFA blocks Spanish questions at World Cup press conferences despite Mexico hosting, sparking language controversy

What happened

At World Cup 2026 press conferences in the United States, journalists from Spanish‑language media were stopped mid‑question. The most prominent incidents involved Mexican reporter Rodrigo Ornelas of TV Azteca Deportes, who was addressing Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi in Spanish before the team’s match against Brazil at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. A FIFA moderator cut in, saying that Spanish questions were not permitted. Similar scenes played out when a DAZN España reporter tried to ask Vinicius Jr. a question in the player’s own language and when another journalist approached Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong in Spanish in Dallas. In each case, the moderator redirected the exchange to English.

FIFA’s rule, not a ban

The governing body insists Spanish is not prohibited at the tournament. Rather, a practical protocol governs press conferences: questions must be asked in the official languages of the two teams facing each other, plus English, for which translation is provided. For the Brazil–Morocco match, the language setup included Portuguese, Arabic, English, and even Italian (requested by Brazil because coach Carlo Ancelotti is Italian), but no Spanish. For Netherlands–Japan, the allowed set was Dutch, Japanese, and English. FIFA points out that Spanish remains one of its institutional languages, but the constraint is logistics: hiring remote interpreters for every possible language would slow down the briefings and break the flow.

“The question must be in English for the translation.”

“We don’t have Spanish interpreters.”

Players’ reactions

All three players were comfortable in Spanish — Hakimi was born and raised in Madrid, Vinicius Jr. plays for Real Madrid, and de Jong is at Barcelona. Hakimi joked about how to proceed (“How do I answer, in English or Spanish?”) but eventually answered in English after the moderator explained the translator shortage. Vinicius urged the DAZN reporter to go ahead in Spanish, yet the journalist was again told by FIFA that no remote Spanish interpreter was available. De Jong, after saying Spanish was fine, consented to answering in English. In all cases, the players appeared cooperative, with the interruptions coming solely from tournament officials.

Reaction and criticism

The incidents went viral on social media under the slogan “FIFA doesn’t allow questions in Spanish in the United States.” Critics pointed out that Mexico is a host nation, the United States has a vast Spanish‑speaking population, and Spanish is the second‑most‑spoken language in the country. The Mexican broadcaster TNT Sports Mexico explained in a video that only three languages are permitted per press conference: the two nations’ official tongues plus English. For many, the protocol felt tone‑deaf in a tournament being played partly in a Spanish‑speaking host and in American cities with large Hispanic communities. FIFA has not indicated it will change the approach.

“¿Como respondo, en inglés o en español?”