In 2015, Swiss authorities—working with the FBI—raided a luxury hotel in Zurich and arrested top FIFA officials in a corruption scandal tied to how World Cups were awarded.

Three years later, Russia hosted the tournament anyway.

In Putin’s Russia, repression was not hidden. Journalists were silenced. Political opponents were imprisoned. And yet, as millions of fans arrived and billions watched, the country projected an image of openness, efficiency, and national pride.

In this episode, we trace how Russia secured the World Cup amid FIFA corruption—and how that image was challenged during the final, when Pussy Riot stormed the pitch, revealing the risks of dissent.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How FBI agents arrested FIFA officials
• Why Russia kept the 2018 World Cup despite the scandal
• How Putin spent $50 billion on the Sochi Olympics
• How FIFA’s voting system made corruption possible
• Why Russia’s human rights abuses were already widely known
• What Pussy Riot risked by storming the World Cup final
• What their protest revealed about power in Putin’s Russia

Connect:

• Website: hrf.org
• Instagram: @hrf
• YouTube: @humanrightsfdn
• Facebook: humanrightsfoundation
• X: @HRF

Coming soon! We’ve partnered with La Media Inglesa to bring you the full episode on YouTube, premiering in June 2026.

Created by Karim Zidan and Elie Bleier.

Produced by Elie Bleier and Robert Scaramuccia.

Media strategy by Guillermo Purchese and Marielle Marlys.