FIFA announced June 14 that Spanish will be permitted as a working language at all 2026 World Cup press conferences with real-time translation. The decision followed incidents where moderators blocked Spanish-language questions despite players being fluent speakers.
At press conferences for Brazil-Morocco and Netherlands-Japan matches, moderators prevented journalists from asking questions in Spanish, citing lack of a translator, even though players Ashraf Hakimi, Frenkie de Jong and Vinicius Jr. expressed willingness to answer in the language.
The previous regulation only allowed English and the official languages of the countries competing in each specific match. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the United States, with approximately 57 million speakers.
The new language policy became effective immediately on June 14 for all remaining tournament matches, ensuring Spanish-speaking media can conduct interviews without restriction.