Overview
- FIFA announced Monday that it will accept questions in Spanish and add Spanish to the official translation service at all World Cup 2026 press conferences.
- The change follows high-profile incidents at MetLife Stadium where players such as Achraf Hakimi, Vinicius Jr. and Frenkie de Jong were prevented from answering in Spanish during pre-match media sessions.
- Until now FIFA’s rule prioritized translation into the two teams’ languages plus English, which left Spanish guaranteed only at matches in Mexico and created gaps at other U.S. and Canadian venues.
- The director of the Instituto Cervantes, Luis García Montero, praised the reversal and highlighted the language’s reach in the United States, noting more than 60 million people of Hispanic origin and over 43 million native Spanish speakers.
- Officials say the change is meant to ease direct interaction between Spanish-speaking reporters and players and will require FIFA to expand on-site translation logistics and staffing at tournament venues.