Thomas Meunier held nothing back. The Belgian defender spoke openly about what the 2026 World Cup left behind and aimed straight at the heart of the business: “Football was not the main priority”, he fired.
Accusing the tournament of being “driven by capitalism, entertainment and money”. For him, this World Cup was directly “the dark side of traditional football”.
However, not everything was criticism. Meunier acknowledged that the United States demonstrated the infrastructure and sporting passion to host a World Cup every year.
That said, he left one non-negotiable condition: that the focus remain on football “and nothing else”. A phrase that sums up the fear of many players regarding the future of the sport.