Everyone near and far knows the extent of the danger of betting, because of the several severe legal, financial, emotional, mental, and physical crises it causes, which often worsen over time, except that Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Football, focused his efforts on making the largest amount of money as quickly as possible.
Suspicions intensify around the 2026 World Cup, held in the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada, in light of the International Federation of Football's decision to lift the suspension of American player Folarin Balogun before facing Belgium, despite receiving a red card previously, in addition to the refereeing errors that clearly appeared in the match between Egypt and Argentina.
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Do bets control the 2026 World Cup?
Gianni Infantino did not care about combating match-fixing, but the matter extended during his era to cooperating with one of the betting companies to sell the rights to his competitions, which included the 2026 World Cup, opening the door for corruption to infiltrate the world of football, and that was on the twelfth of January of the current year, as announced on the official "FIFA" website.
The International Federation of Football "FIFA" clarified that the company will be the first official distributor ever of betting data and its broadcasting rights in its own competitions, marking the first cooperation of this kind in history, pointing out that the 2026 World Cup will be within the framework mentioned in the contract.
The mentioned cooperation between the International Federation of Football and the announced betting company opens the door to the possibility of match-fixing and controlling the course of competitions under the organization, supervision, and sponsorship of the mentioned "FIFA" in the contract.
Voices are rising to investigate several violations committed in the 2026 World Cup finals, whether through unprecedented interference in the penalties issued against players, as happened in the suspension of Folarin Balogun's ban, which stirred public opinion and prompted members of the European Parliament to demand a comprehensive investigation into the decision taken in favor of the American national team.
The suspicion appears in the intervention of the president of the International Federation of Football in the decision to suspend Balogun's ban, given the good relationship that binds him with the president of the United States of America, who introduced an award to honor him before the start of the 2026 World Cup, in an unprecedented incident.
Doubts continue about the intervention of betting in the World Cup, after the Egyptian national team's farewell to the World Cup against Argentina, in a match that witnessed several refereeing errors by Frenchman François Letexier, who dedicated his whistle to favoring the squad of coach Lionel Scaloni at the expense of the Pharaohs.
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How do bets affect the integrity of football?
The International Federation of Football "FIFA" has sought, since its inception, to preserve the integrity of the game and not violate its principles or control it outside legal frameworks, which is the approach that has been followed over long decades.
Bets affect the world of football, on integrity and impartiality, and cause match-fixing, as elements of the game may intervene to change the course of matches in order to achieve illegal gains.
Many players and referees may be subjected to several pressures from illegal betting networks, which harms the integrity of the competition, and this certainly results in severe financial losses for the fans who chose to follow that path.
Do profits affect FIFA?
The "habtoorresearch" foundation confirms that the volume of revenues from betting on football is estimated at about 113.8 billion US dollars in 2025, and this comes in light of the diversity of matches and the difference in their styles.
One of the companies specialized in betting-related research expects that the value of global betting on the World Cup will reach about 60 billion US dollars, an increase of 71% from what was done during the 2022 World Cup, estimated at about 35 billion US dollars.
The United Nations Office believes that about 1.7 trillion US dollars are used in illegal betting markets controlled by organized crime networks, which opens the way for corruption in sports and ways to manipulate it.
For his part, the "playthegame" website reviewed the comment of one of the experts who described the matter as "catastrophic," as he said: "For the first time, I feel concerned about the corruption associated with betting in the World Cup."
Returning to the "habtoorresearch" foundation report, FIFA's commercial model is based on star players and major matches, in order to maintain the fans from whom betting companies and television channels make profits.
The report adds that the matter creates a structural alignment "not necessarily collusion" between keeping the stars on the field and achieving revenues in the system as a whole, which appears during the 2026 World Cup without it being proven.
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The danger of betting
The "Kindbridge" Institute for Research in the United States of America, specialized in treating gambling addiction, explained that the danger of betting may cause severe legal, financial, emotional, mental, and physical crises.
Financial problems appear with increased betting activity, which will result in increased losses, which makes gamblers resort to borrowing money or stealing it.
Thus, the crisis worsens as the gambler will fall under the law, which may result in damage to his social relationships and loss of his job.
