As the final whistle blew on the 2026 World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Argentina defeating Spain, Europe’s leading human rights organisation used the closing moments to issue a call: the tournament’s integrity must be rebuilt before the 2030 edition. Alain Berset, secretary general of the 46-nation Council of Europe, declared that the month-long spectacle had left a trail of unanswered questions, even as the winner’s trophy was hoisted aloft.

Foremost among Berset’s concerns was a politically charged disciplinary reversal. During the knockout stage, US striker Folarin Balogun saw a suspension abruptly converted into a non-enforced measure, effectively clearing him to play against Belgium in the quarter-finals, which Belgium won 4–1. The intervention followed a direct call from President Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. ‘When the rules bend under pressure, every result is open to doubt,’ Berset said, reflecting a view shared across European diplomatic circles that political influence had encroached onto the field of play.

The Council also criticised the growing role of betting markets. For the first time, FIFA included a prediction market, ADI Predictstreet, as an official partner, with kiosks inside stadiums. Wagering moved beyond match outcomes to isolated, score-independent actions — a pass, a corner, a yellow card — opening what Berset called ‘an open door to fraud’. In European capitals, where match-fixing scandals have scarred domestic leagues, the development was seen as a dangerous escalation.

Other grievances ranged from racist abuse of players — some allegedly from elected officials — to a perceived erosion of referee authority. The Council of Europe, which after the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster crafted binding treaties on spectator safety and later on doping and match-fixing, now proposes a formal ‘third half’: a working dialogue starting immediately to craft an integrity framework for the 2030 men’s World Cup, the bulk of which will be staged in Spain and Portugal, with co-hosts Morocco and centenary matches in South America.

The 2030 tournament now carries the weight of hosting reforms that many in the game view as overdue. As celebrations fade in New Jersey, the work of restoring trust, Berset said, must begin at once.