Europe's top human rights body has questioned the integrity of the FIFA World Cup and urged football's governing body to strengthen safeguards ahead of the 2030 tournament, which will be hosted mainly by Spain and Portugal.

In an open letter to FIFA published on Sunday, hours before the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset warned that the next crisis in football had "two names: money and power."

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The Swiss politician cited FIFA's decision to suspend a mandatory one-match ban on United States forward Folarin Balogun following pressure from US President Donald Trump, arguing that political influence had undermined confidence in the sport. Balogun was cleared to play against Belgium in a quarterfinal with a place in the semifinals at stake, although Belgium won 4-1.

Berset also criticised FIFA's reported $150 million sponsorship agreement with prediction market company ADI Predictstreet, signed just a week after the Abu Dhabi-backed firm was established, as well as other gambling-related commercial partnerships linked to the tournament. He warned that prediction betting could encourage insider trading and fraud by allowing wagers on individual actions that do not affect the final score.

The Council of Europe, which signed a cooperation agreement with FIFA in 2018 to promote transparency, accountability, integrity, safety in sport and respect for human rights, said recent developments had undermined those shared values. Berset noted that FIFA has yet to publish the disciplinary ruling explaining why Balogun's suspension was lifted, despite criticism from UEFA, which said the decision had "crossed a red line" regarding football's rule of law and transparency.

He also expressed concern over referees' authority being challenged, racist abuse targeting players-including by some elected officials-and the expansion of betting markets covering every pass, card and corner during matches.

Looking ahead to the 2030 men's World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each staging one opening match to mark the tournament's centenary, Berset called on FIFA to begin an immediate dialogue to establish a stronger integrity framework before the competition begins.