As 2026 World Cup Kicks Off, Chinese and Pro-China Actors Criticize US Visa Denials, Promote Mexico and Chinese Brands

Key Finding

In the context of the 2026 World Cup, Chinese and pro-China actors on Facebook, X, and YouTube have portrayed the U.S. as a vengeful, chaotic, and unfair host nation while praising Mexico as a moral counterweight. At the same time, provincial state media and diplomatic accounts have coordinated in a campaign to promote Chinese commercial entities.

Online Activity

• Through its video series "More Than Just a Game," Chinese state media outlet China Global Television Network (CGTN) leveraged the tournament to push a consistent anti-U.S. narrative, using visa denials, border politics, and a potential U.S.-Iran matchup. Videos and text posts from CGTN on X, Facebook, and YouTube allege that the U.S. is undermining the tournament through unfair treatment of Iranian, African, and Global South teams. Several CGTN editions promoted the Iran team’s move from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, after the U.S. denied overnight accommodation.
  
• On X, Chinese diplomatic and provincial PR accounts posted images, text, and similar hashtags to highlight the presence of Chinese commercial, infrastructure, and cultural influence at the World Cup, emphasizing Chinese FIFA sponsors, trains, buses, and rail. This narrative alignment shows signs of coordinated amplification across state media, diplomats, embassies, and provincial PR accounts using similar text and hashtags.
  
• In their coverage of the tournament, Chinese state media outlets have published very little substantive material on Canada, save for a CCTV piece on Vancouver infrastructure concerns. Mexico receives far more attention, with state media portraying the country as an amenable and sympathetic co-host. Pro-CCP X persona Sima Pingbang is sharply critical of the U.S., casting Mexico as a victim of U.S. hegemony and claiming that the World Cup will "reignite the flames of war" (3.5k views).