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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Karim Zidan

The Qatar World Cup should be a watershed moment in sports journalism

World Cup Qatar Joe Biden Canada Linda ThomasGreenfield Omar Alghabra Yon de Luisa Mexico United Nations United States
2026 World Cup handover ceremony
Officials from Canada, the USA, Mexico and Qatar try not to drop the ball at the 2026 World Cup handover ceremony. Photograph: Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters

Hours before the World Cup final in Qatar, a diplomatic delegation from the three host countries of the 2026 World Cup – Canada, Mexico and the United States – met with dignitaries in the coastal city of Doha to hand over responsibility for the 2026 edition of the tournament.

The delegation, represented by Canada’s transport minister Omar Alghabra, US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Mexican Football Federation president Yon de Luisa, were photographed receiving a ceremonial ball from Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee. The symbolic gesture signaled the closing stages of one of the most controversial sporting events in modern history – an event marked by show-stopping soccer, appalling human rights abuses, and dystopian displays of wealth and luxury.

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