A fresh spot-fixing controversy has surfaced ahead of this month’s 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026, which will take place across North America.

The tournament, being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, has already been struck by allegations even before the first ball is kicked.

Investigations have reportedly uncovered corruption across multiple continents, involving several of the world’s major sporting events — both within football and in other disciplines.

As per a report by Jacob Whitehead of The Athletic, two players set to feature in the 2026 World Cup are now under scrutiny in a new spot-fixing scandal.

Independent integrity specialists have reportedly informed the national football federations where these players compete at club level, citing suspicions of spot-fixing.

Both players are alleged to have intentionally picked up yellow cards in matches played over the past year. Despite these allegations, they are now preparing to represent their nations in football’s most prestigious global tournament in North America.

One of the incidents is believed to have taken place only a few weeks ago, indicating that the alleged manipulation may be recent rather than a dated offence from lower-tier matches.

Earlier in the club season, one player was accused of deliberately earning a yellow card during a league fixture to serve a suspension before an upcoming derby clash. This would have ensured their availability for that key match.

Reports suggest that the plan was arranged and discussed well in advance, resulting in an unusually large number of bets being placed on the player receiving a booking. This irregular betting pattern reportedly triggered alerts within established match-monitoring systems.

In the second case, which was recorded last month, a similar red flag was raised when two independent bookmakers reported suspicious betting trends.

The wagers in question focused on a player being booked in the first half. The bet succeeded after the footballer committed three fouls within the opening five minutes of play, leading to a yellow card.

The report did not disclose the identities of either player involved, in order to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations.

When questioned about whether match-fixing discussions had taken place before the 2026 World Cup, FIFA stated: “FIFA maintains a zero-tolerance approach to any form of match manipulation and operates a secure, web-based whistleblowing platform that enables individuals to report any knowledge of possible match-fixing or integrity violations.”