Fan arrests, player entry denial, and rule change criticism cloud start of 2026 World Cup

The early days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have been overshadowed by off-field incidents and vocal criticism of new regulations meant to speed up play.

Security incident in Toronto

During Bosnia and Herzegovina's opening group match against Canada, two fans originally from Germany were arrested and charged. The arrests followed an alleged attack on police officers, though exact details remain limited. The match ended 1‑1.

Partey blocked at the border

Ghana's Thomas Partey was denied entry into Canada ahead of the tournament. The Ghanaian foreign ministry has since become involved, as reported in the German press.

Ittrich slams ineffective rule changes

New measures introduced for this World Cup – expanded VAR powers, countdown timers on set pieces, time limits on substitutions – were designed to push effective playing time toward 60 minutes or more. But former FIFA referee Ittrich delivered a blunt assessment on the "Breakfast Club" program, noting actual net playing times are falling short: "The net playing time in South Korea against Czech Republic was 51 minutes. 55 minutes in Canada against Bosnia-Herzegovina. We want to go toward 60, 63. But so far, it achieves nothing."

Schweinsteiger baffled by water breaks

2014 world champion and TV pundit Bastian Schweinsteiger expressed bewilderment at water breaks being called during mild conditions. Sprinklers even activated at half time in Toronto, prompting his remark: "It bothered me a bit – these water breaks. It's not 40 degrees here and 100 percent humidity. When it's 50 degrees, of course you need breaks. The rule is already somewhat questionable when the weather is fine."