US, April 18 -- The numbers should have told a different story. A record-breaking 150 million ticket requests. A tournament expanded to 48 teams. Host cities stretch coast to coast across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

By every traditional measure, the 2026 FIFA World Cup should be an unstoppable economic engine. Instead, as the countdown intensifies, a more complicated-and increasingly uneasy-picture is emerging.

This is no longer just a story about sport. It is a story about cost, perception, and a world in flux.

Tickets: Sold Out, But Not Settled At first glance, ticket demand looks historic. Matches are oversubscribed many times over. Millions of tickets have already been distributed. FIFA's sales figures project confidenc...