BRAZIL PERSPECTIVE

Brasília and São Paulo measure the opening against their own memory as organizers and find Trump's absence striking. The Brazilian press dwells on a precise historical contrast: 'in the last three editions, the leaders of host countries attended the opening ceremonies' — Emir Tamim in Qatar in 2022, Vladimir Putin in Russia in 2018, and Dilma Rousseff in Brazil in 2014. That Trump breaks this tradition is read as a signal, all the more so since he had received a 'FIFA Peace Prize' before the tournament. Coverage notes that Andrew Giuliani confirmed the presidential absence in favor of Marco Rubio and two other secretaries, against the backdrop of tensions with Iran. But Brazil keeps an eye on the pitch: its Seleção, coached by Carlo Ancelotti and awaited in a group with a Brazil-Morocco clash, makes the front pages, with uncertainty over Neymar's presence in the group stage fueling debate. For a country that lived through the 2013-2014 protests against the cost of a World Cup — 'no Cup, we want hospitals' — the protest scenes in Mexico City resonate as a familiar echo. Brazil knows better than anyone that a World Cup is both a showcase of prestige and an amplifier of social anger, and watches the North American edition with the clarity of the former host who paid the bill.