The president of La Liga, the Spanish professional football league, has publicly criticised what he describes as a ‘complicit silence’ within the international football community regarding the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the organisation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to reporting by the BBC, the La Liga president expressed concern over the failure of key stakeholders within international football to raise critical questions about FIFA’s policies and decision-making processes in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The La Liga official stated, as reported by the BBC, that the absence of public debate and critical scrutiny within the football community poses a risk to the integrity of the sport. He called upon relevant parties to speak out on matters relating to the organisation of the tournament and the governance of the global football governing body.

FIFA has not issued an official response to the statements made by the La Liga president. The organisation could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

The criticism from La Liga forms part of a broader and longstanding discussion concerning transparency and institutional accountability within FIFA. The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 participating nations, an expansion from the current format of 32 teams.