Al Jazeera’s Basel Ghazoghli might want to pat himself on the back for covering the #FIFAworldcup26 excitement, but let’s dissect what’s really going on. By touting England and Argentina’s “glorious” victories, the piece slips into a comfortable narrative that wouldn’t ruffle the feathers of mainstream channels like CNN or even ESPN. The established media loves to paint this picture of unity and sportsmanship while glossing over the real issues embedded in the sport—like corruption and the exploitation of players.

Think about it—while Al Jazeera plays nice with the facts, outlets like Fox News would probably fill their broadcasts with sensationalism, focusing more on controversies surrounding the teams, the refereeing decisions, or potential scandals outside the game. Meanwhile, what does Al Jazeera choose to highlight? The warm and fuzzy semi-final progress of two traditionally powerful football nations, cherry-picking content that distracts from the deeper socio-political narratives at play.

Let’s not be naive; the portrayal of these matches isn’t just sport. It’s about creating heroes and villains, a narrative carefully curated by the networks to maintain viewer engagement and, let’s face it, ratings. So while Ghazoghli delivers a fine recap, he’s missing the bigger picture in favor of a story others would be delighted to sell. If only corporate media could stop polishing their narratives and start challenging their ideologies, we might actually get an authentic depiction of what’s happening on and off the pitch.