Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
FIFA and fascism go hand-in-hand.
Yes, you read that right. The organizer of the World Cup has historically been complicit in legitimizing authoritarian regimes and helping distract from their crimes – a phenomenon commonly known as “sportswashing.”
Just take a look at the 1934 World Cup. And the 1978 World Cup… Oh, and the 2026 World Cup.
In the second episode of Zeteo’s three-part video series, “The Dark Side of the World Cup,” Mehdi walks through these three World Cups – which respectively take place under Italy’s Benito Mussolini, Argentina’s junta leader Jorge Videla, and the U.S.’s Donald Trump – to connect the dots and highlight how FIFA helped these authoritarians cover up their crimes.
Plus, Mehdi breaks down the controversies around the Russia- and Qatar-hosted World Cups and digs into the double standards when it comes to the lack of media coverage on the U.S.’s own controversies.
This video was first published June 16 on zeteo.com. If you want earlier access to more coverage like this, subscribe at zeteo.com/subscribe.
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Find Mehdi:
Substack: substack.com/@mehdirhasan
Twitter: twitter.com/@mehdirhasan
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Tik Tok: tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan
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FIFA and fascism go hand-in-hand.
Yes, you read that right. The organizer of the World Cup has historically been complicit in legitimizing authoritarian regimes and helping distract from their crimes – a phenomenon commonly known as “sportswashing.”
Just take a look at the 1934 World Cup. And the 1978 World Cup… Oh, and the 2026 World Cup.
In the second episode of Zeteo’s three-part video series, “The Dark Side of the World Cup,” Mehdi walks through these three World Cups – which respectively take place under Italy’s Benito Mussolini, Argentina’s junta leader Jorge Videla, and the U.S.’s Donald Trump – to connect the dots and highlight how FIFA helped these authoritarians cover up their crimes.
Plus, Mehdi breaks down the controversies around the Russia- and Qatar-hosted World Cups and digs into the double standards when it comes to the lack of media coverage on the U.S.’s own controversies.
This video was first published June 16 on zeteo.com. If you want earlier access to more coverage like this, subscribe at zeteo.com/subscribe.
Find Zeteo:
Twitter: twitter.com/zeteo_news
Instagram: instagram.com/zeteonews
TikTok: tiktok.com/@zeteonews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com
Find Mehdi:
Substack: substack.com/@mehdirhasan
Twitter: twitter.com/@mehdirhasan
Instagram: instagram.com/@mehdirhasan
Tik Tok: tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit
advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
