Somewhere in an Algerian prison, a French journalist now holds official press credentials for the biggest sporting event on Earth. Whether he’ll actually use them is the point.
FIFA issued World Cup accreditation to Christophe Gleizes on June 10, 2026, one day before the tournament’s opening match. The credential, numbered 00980549, assigns Gleizes to cover the 2026 FIFA World Cup for French football magazine So Foot across all three host nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The announcement came via Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the press freedom organization that has been campaigning for his release since his arrest more than two years ago.
A football journalist jailed for covering football
Gleizes, 37, is a freelance journalist who was arrested on May 28, 2024, while reporting on JS Kabylie, a prominent Algerian football club. His crime, according to Algerian authorities, amounted to “glorifying terrorism” and possessing publications deemed harmful to Algeria’s national interests.
The charges stemmed from an interview Gleizes conducted with a club official who allegedly had ties to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie, known by its French acronym MAK. The Algerian government classifies MAK as a terrorist organization. Gleizes was sentenced to seven years in prison in June 2025.
