FIFA has built an $11 billion event that is too big to fail. But off the pitch, someone will win, and many others will lose. Mere days from kickoff, the quandary picking at the nape of the 2026 World Cup is a potent blend of big-time buyer’s remorse, capitalist bromance, and plain administrative tomfoolery. Given all the parties with demonstrable ties to the soon-to-be biggest spectacle in human history, we probably should’ve always expected as much.