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World Cup

FIFA Bans Questions in Spanish During Press Conferences

Lluvia Zazueta Jun 18, 2026 4 min read
FM FANS

The 2026 World Cup has once again become the center of controversy, but this time not because of a refereeing call or the performance of any national team. The issue that is sparking outrage among fans and journalists has to do with something much simpler: language.

Several reporters have complained that during the tournament’s official press conferences, held in cities across the United States, they have been barred from asking players questions in Spanish, even when both the journalist and the player are fluent in the language.

The most recent incident occurred before the match between Morocco and Brazil. During the press conference, a TV Azteca reporter attempted to ask Morocco’s captain, Achraf Hakimi, a question in Spanish. However, he was immediately interrupted by one of the event coordinators.

“Sorry, but you can only ask questions in the language we specified, so no questions in Spanish,” the organizer said.

The situation surprised even Hakimi himself, who stepped in to clarify that he had understood the question perfectly. Even so, the staff insisted that it wasn’t allowed due to issues related to the official translators.

Faced with the player’s persistence, a sort of impromptu agreement was reached: the journalist asked the question in Spanish, and Hakimi answered in English, all while smiling at the strangeness of the situation.

But the Moroccan wasn’t the only one at the center of this debate.

Days earlier, Vinícius Júnior experienced something similar. A Spanish journalist began asking him questions in English, to which the Brazilian forward replied that he could answer in Spanish, a language he has mastered thanks to his time at Real Madrid.

However, the reporter explained that he was not allowed to use Spanish, and once again, staff from the organization intervened to confirm the restriction.

“Sorry, we don’t have any Spanish interpreters available remotely,” they explained.

The moment was unusual for many fans: the journalist and the player shared a common language, but the rules prevented them from conversing in it. Vinícius ended up using headphones to listen to the translation and answer the question.

After the tie between Brazil and Morocco, the Brazilian player appeared before the media again and, to avoid another awkward moment, decided to answer in Portuguese a question that a Venezuelan journalist asked him in Spanish.

The controversy also reached the Netherlands. During a press conference ahead of the match against Japan, Frenkie de Jong was asked a question in Spanish, and once again, an organizer interrupted the reporter.

The Dutch midfielder made it clear that he had no problem answering in that language, but the response was the same as before: the rules state that only English or the official languages of the participating teams may be used, due to the availability of interpreters.

Images and videos of these moments quickly went viral on social media, where thousands of users questioned the decision.

Many find it contradictory that a World Cup partially hosted in North America, where Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages, would restrict its use in official settings. Others point out that the tournament should promote linguistic diversity and facilitate communication, especially when there is mutual understanding between journalists and players.

So far, neither FIFA nor the Organizing Committee has issued a broader statement on this controversy. However, the debate is already underway and promises to grow as the tournament progresses.

Because if this situation has shown us anything, it’s that at the 2026 World Cup, sometimes the problem isn’t the question itself… but the language in which it’s asked.

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