What Spain's Victory Means: Jules Boykoff on the World Cup, FIFA, Trump, "Collectivity" & More

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The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup has concluded, with Spain defeating Argentina to claim the coveted title. Spain’s national team players accepted the championship trophy at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his close ally, United States President Donald Trump. Former professional soccer player Jules Boykoff, now a scholar who studies the political dimensions of the sport, joins us to discuss the various controversies that swirled around this year’s tournament, held in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. this past month.

“While many of us were engrossed in this World Cup, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramped up its violent deportation machine,” says Boykoff. “And so, the World Cup helped Trump advance his agenda. It deflected attention from a lot of people away from his brutal immigration program, and it sets him up well to do the same in Los Angeles in 2028 when the United States hosts the Summer Olympics.”

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