"Official Language of the Co-Host"...FIFA Criticized for Blocking Spanish at Press Conferences

Spanish Questions Repeatedly Blocked at World Cup Press Conferences
Central and South American Players and Fans Voice Strong Objections
FIFA Ultimately Adds Spanish as Fourth Interpretation Language

At the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, football fans from Central and South America have expressed outrage after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) blocked the use of Spanish during official press conferences.

Photo to assist in understanding the article, depicting the press conference for the 2026 North American World Cup in South Africa. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News Agency

According to Yonhap News Agency, on the 13th (local time) at the Netherlands national team’s press conference, a journalist asked midfielder Frenkie de Jong a question in Spanish. However, a FIFA official immediately intervened to stop it. De Jong, who plays for FC Barcelona and is fluent in Spanish, responded, “It’s fine, I’ll answer in Spanish.” Nevertheless, FIFA did not allow it, explaining that interpretation would not be provided. As a result, De Jong was compelled to respond in English.

Similar scenes have been repeated since the previous day. During a press conference with Brazil forward Vinicius Junior, a Spanish-speaking journalist began asking a question in English. Vinicius politely asked, “Could you do it in Spanish?” Having played for Real Madrid for a long time, Vinicius is known to be proficient in both Portuguese, his native language, and Spanish. However, the journalist hesitated, stating, “It’s difficult due to the regulations,” and the FIFA official also explained, “You must ask the question in English.” In the end, the journalist continued the conference with a reluctant expression, wearing headphones for simultaneous English interpretation.

On the 13th (local time), Brazil's forward Vinicius Junior was seen during the Brazil vs Morocco match in the North and Central America World Cup. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News.

The same situation occurred during a press conference with Morocco’s captain, Achraf Hakimi. When a Mexican journalist attempted to ask a question in Spanish, a FIFA official firmly insisted, “You must do it in English.” In response, Hakimi, who was born in Madrid, Spain, gestured in support of the journalist, saying, “If he asks in Spanish, I’ll answer in English.” Ultimately, the journalist asked the question in Spanish, and Hakimi responded in English.

It is reported that FIFA’s restriction on Spanish stems from its internal policy of providing interpretation only for English and the languages of the participating teams at official press conferences. However, many Central and South American football fans found this difficult to accept. They argued that the rule was overly rigid, especially considering that Mexico is one of the joint hosts alongside the United States and Canada, that Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and that it is the “number one foreign language” in the United States. Moreover, Spanish is also one of FIFA’s official languages, along with English, French, and German.

On local social network services (SNS), criticism poured in, such as, “It’s as if Spanish has effectively been banned at the World Cup,” “Can’t they even support the official language of co-host Mexico?” and “They charge expensive ticket prices but try to save on interpretation costs.” Others pointed out, “Even in the era where real-time AI-powered interpretation is widespread, FIFA still clings to outdated operational methods.”

In response to the controversy, prominent Mexican sports journalist Jose Ramon Fernandez also posted a critical comment on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “The 2026 World Cup calls for diversity, yet at the press conferences for Brazil and Morocco, questions in Spanish—the official language of the host country and spoken by millions in North America—were not even permitted. It’s incomprehensible.”

As the controversy intensified, FIFA ultimately changed its stance. According to U.S. Sporting News and others, FIFA announced on the 14th that Spanish would be added as the fourth interpretation language at all official press conferences for the remainder of the tournament.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.