Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542372
KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt 2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JANUARY 2026 LOOKING FORWARD 2026 Looking forward 2026: The WHO would have thought in 2018 when the World Cup 2026 host nation was chosen that the summer tournament would end up being co-hosted by three 'warring' parties? Roll forward eight years and under a second Donald Trump presidency the US has declared a trade war with Canada and an immigration war with Mexico. And yet, for almost six weeks in June and July these three countries will have to put on a straight face as they jointly host the FIFA World Cup. There are great expectations for the football tournament, which is the largest ever with 48 teams from around the globe, including the Caribbean min- now island nation of Curacao. Undoubtedly, the geo-political situation makes the 2026 tour- nament a political event in as much as a sporting event. That Trump will use the US's numer- ic advantage—it will host many more games than Canada and Mexico, including the final—to steal his neighbours' limelight is a given. What will have to be seen, though, is whether this will also take the form of po- litical jibes that could taint the maple syrup or sour the guaca- mole. Whatever the outcome, there is little doubt the World Cup will be one of the big events shaping 2026 with football gi- ants battling hopeful countries as they vie for the coveted tro- phy. On a smaller scale but with big domestic significance, the foot- ball world will be the backdrop of a different kind of great ex- pectation. On 26 and 31 March, the Maltese men's national football team will play a dou- ble-header against Luxembourg in the UEFA Nations League play-offs. If Malta wins it will gain promotion from Group D to Group C in the forthcom- ing tournament, a feat that has eluded the country since the European league started being organised in 2018. There is great expectation among football fans that Mal- ta could finally break the ice and win promotion. And in the midst of this, we can anticipate politicians taking advantage of the patriotic hype to post selfies in the stands at Ta' Qali Nation- al Stadium. For Malta's political parties, 2026 will also be the year in which they start gearing up for the general election. Borg's test With Prime Minister Robert Abela emphatically ruling out a March general election, or for that matter, an election in 2026, the country will go to the hus- tings on the fifth and final year of this administration in 2027. This means that the new year will be characterised by a grad- ual escalation of political heat. Alex Borg will get his first re- al test in 2026. The Nationalist Party leader will have to cement his leadership by vocalising his vision for Malta and ensuring that the team around him is pulling the same rope. There is great expectation around Borg's leadership—he took the PN and the country by storm last year to become the youngest-ever leader of a po- litical party in Malta. But 2026 will be a make-or-break year for him personally and the party he aspires to lead to election victo- ry. Similarly, 2026 will be a water- shed moment for Robert Abe- la's administration. The prime minister will try and capitalise on budget measures, intended to leave more money in peo- ple's pockets, which start taking effect in the first quarter of the year. Parents will receive an im- proved paycheque by the end of January when the first tranche of a three-year tax cut will start being felt. But the financial aspect will only represent one part of the story, albeit a very im- portant one. Abela's decisions In 2026, Ab- ela will have to decide whether he wants to pursue the controversial planning reform against a backdrop of growing disquiet in Labour Par- ty strongholds on the choke- hold of incessant development that does not respect local sen- sitivities. Tangible steps need to be taken to start realising the na- tional park plans for Manoel Island, White Rocks and Fort C a m p - b e l l . T h e r e will be a n t i c i - p a t i o n as to how the Manoel Is- land contract between MIDI plc and the government will be dissolved and whether this will include trade-offs or indeed, some indecent propos- al. The prime minister will have to decide on a concrete roadm- ap for a mass transport sys- tem unless this is permanent- ly scrapped. He will want to avoid another glitzy roadshow on election eve that leads no- where, while showing results on the more immediate solution of using fast ferries between coast- al towns. He will have to show tangible progress on health infrastructure that fell by the wayside while Malta lost time with a botched public-private partnership deal with Vitals and Steward Health Care. Abela will have to decide whether the Magħtab incinerator, crucial if Malta wants to move away from landfilling, is going to get out of the tendering stage in which it has been stuck for years. Some of these decisions could impinge on the mood of dif- ferent communities or people with shared interests, making them particularly touchy in the run-up to a general election. Nonetheless, there is great ex- pectation as to how Abela will navigate 2026 amid growing unease in the electorate with an administration that is showing signs of arrogance. The prime minister will undoubtedly want to appear statesmanlike when he rolls out the bold Vision 2050 this year—it will serve as a blueprint for the electoral man- ifesto. But Abela will also want to translate his superior trust rating in polls into something tangible for his party, some- thing that will also depend on other factors outside his con- trol. Yorgen and Harbinson And one of the major events outside the administration's control that could be happen- ing in 2026 is the trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech. The busi- nessman, who is out on bail, is accused of masterminding the murder of Daphne Caru- ana Galizia. He has denied the charges. There is great expectation for Fenech's jury, which will bring a close to the series of crimi- nal cases against those charged with involvement in Caruana Galizia's assassination. But the expectation will transcend the mere details of how the journal- ist's murder was planned and executed, or how the defence will frame its arguments. FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) with US President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during the World Cup 2026 group stage draws at The Trump-Kennedy Centre in December 2025 (Photo: Gianni Infantino/Instagram) The new year will be Alex Borg's proper test as leader of the Nationalist Party and aspirant prime minister (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)