World Cup anticipation, useless rules, and Meta’s ‘dystopian plans’

Women next to a replica of the World Cup trophy in Tehran on Wednesday. Iran’s football federation says its group-stage ticket allocation was revoked just days before the start of the World Cup. Keystone/Swissinfo

Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday we look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science.

If you’re not interested in football, I hope you’ve got a plan B for the next five weeks, as it’s going to be hard to avoid the 2026 World Cup in North America. Events on and off the pitch are likely to generate plenty of headlines. We look at what Swiss newspapers make of the whole circus.

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Bill Pulte in September 2025, when he was director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

New rules are no use against a notorious rule-breaker, says the Tages-Anzeiger, turning its eye to Donald Trump’s recent appointment of businessman Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence.

“Bill Pulte has never had anything to do with security matters in his life. Not in the slightest,” the Zurich newspaper said in an analysis on Tuesday. “He was a property manager. Now he’s set to become the head of US intelligence. Why? Only Donald Trump knows.”

The reason is in fact because Trump likes filling top posts with “acting directors”. The Internal Revenue Service, for example, has had six acting heads since the start of his second term. Trump likes this arrangement as it gives him “more flexibility”, as he explained in 2019External link in response to criticism during his first term.

“By this, Trump means the ability to appoint people whom the Senate might not confirm. People who serve his own interests rather than those of the country,” the Tages-Anzeiger said. “In Pulte’s case, there are fears that he’ll exploit the intelligence services to persecute Trump’s enemies.”

Ideas for new rules are now circulating, the newspaper noted. “The conservative thinktank Cato has proposed that acting heads must come from the same agency they are leading. This might prevent Pulte from taking the post but not acting ICE chief David Venturella. He has relevant experience.”

The problem, the Tages-Anzeiger explained, is that no constitution and no law can prevent a president from circumventing, abusing or ignoring rules – however sophisticated. “Rules only work with actors who are willing to abide by them. At least in principle. Donald Trump is not. […] This means that the usual approaches to problem-solving fail,” it wrote.

“The only thing that can rein the president in is opposition from within his own ranks,” the newspaper concluded. “When a few Republicans voiced muted criticism over Pulte, the White House responded with a press release entitled ‘Strong Support for Trump’. It quoted every Republican who had spoken positively about the appointments. This, too, shows that as long as Republicans in Congress do not refuse to follow Trump in large numbers when he breaks the rules, there’s no point in debating new rules. They are useless.”

• New rules are no use against a notorious rule-breakerExternal link – Tages-Anzeiger analysis (German, paywall)

• Trump’s nomination of Bill PulteExternal link – Le Temps (French)

A National Guard officer stands outside a World Cup stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Tuesday. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

The 2026 men’s football World Cup kicks off tomorrow, June 11, and it’s hard to know how excited Swiss media are.

“Trump’s authorities dampen World Cup excitement with entry mess” was the headline in tabloid Blick on Tuesday, highlighting the obstacles faced by several players and fans when travelling to the United States, host of 78 of 104 matches (Canada and Mexico are both hosting 13).

Blick gave the examples of many Scottish fans who reportedly saw their entry permits changed to “not authorised” at the last moment, Jordanian fans who couldn’t get a visa, a player from Iraq and another from Senegal who were interrogated, sometimes for hours, on landing in the US, and Somali referee Omar Artan, who was turned away after landing in Miami. Switzerland’s star striker Breel Embolo eventually made it to the US two days later than his colleagues after the US wanted clarifications about his ESTA form.

For Le Temps, the 2026 World Cup “is shaking up our perception of this event to such an extent that it’s generating more concern than enthusiasm”. The Geneva newspaper explained that ticket prices have been almost completely deregulated and resale is authorised. What’s more, there will be a massive concert at half-time of the final, and all 104 matches will pause in the middle of each half for three-minute hydration breaks, “in order to sell more advertising”.

“Nothing is impossible for [FIFA president] Gianni Infantino, who sees himself as a head of state but acts like the CEO of a multinational, busy generating ever more money,” Le Temps said. “As we await the first matches, one wonders what football has to gain from it…”

At least the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) was getting into the mood. “Some people are saying they intend to look the other way when the tournament begins. But anyone trying to send a meaningful signal that way will fail,” it wrote on Tuesday.

“Because when the referee blows the whistle in Mexico City for the opening match […], much of what may cast a cloud of disgust over this gigantic mega-event will fade into the background from the very first touch. Once the ball is rolling, no president can steer it into the goal, no bundle of money can change its direction, and no military intervention is likely to disrupt the ball’s trajectory. The ball belongs to the players. And once it’s in play, the whole world will be watching in fascination.”

• A World Cup that worries more than it excitesExternal link – Le Temps (French, paywall)

• When the ball is kicked, everything else fades into the backgroundExternal link – NZZ (German, paywall)

• The football World Cup under the shadow of Trump’s migration policyExternal link – SRF (German)

• Somali referee refused entry to USExternal link – Le Temps (French, paywall)

• Trump’s authorities dampen World Cup excitement with entry messExternal link – Blick (German)

Mark Zuckerberg wears a pair of Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference in September 2024. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

“Keep an eye on Mark Zuckerberg and his dystopian plans” warned Le Temps on Sunday. It explained how Meta was exploring a facial recognition function for its glasses, reviving concerns about the identification of people in public spaces.

“Mark Zuckerberg promised to do away with facial recognition,” the Geneva newspaper said, reminding its readers that in 2021 Meta had announced the end of its automatic ID system on Facebook and the deletion of around one billion facial prints.

But according to an investigation by US magazine Wired, Meta has integrated code into its Meta AI application linked to a facial recognition function for its Ray-Ban and Oakley connected glasses. Known internally as “NameTag”, this technology has not yet been activated, Le Temps reported, but it’s already present in an app that’s been downloaded more than 50 million times. “Meta talks of a simple ‘exploration’, but concerns are growing,” the paper said.

The way the system works, as revealed by Wired, is “dizzying”, according to Le Temps: the glasses film a face, the app transforms it into a biometric fingerprint, then compares it with data stored on the phone. If there’s a match, a notification can indicate that the “person” has been recognised. “Meta’s glasses would no longer just film the world: they could name the people who walk through it,” it said.

Le Temps warned that facial recognition technology that’s accessible to everyone could quickly become a tool for tracking. “With Meta’s glasses, the risk would be even greater: you wouldn’t even have to import a photo into a search engine. All you’d have to do is look at someone.”

• Keep an eye on Mark Zuckerberg and his dystopian plansExternal link – Le Temps (French, paywall)

The next edition of ‘Swiss views of US news’ will be published on Wednesday, June 17. See you then!

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