In a scheduling coincidence that FIFA's lawyers must have found professionally satisfying, a federal judge dismissed bribery indictments against Uruguayan football official Hugo Jinkis López and his company Full Play in May 2026 — with the United States preparing to host the very World Cup whose broadcast rights allegedly sat at the heart of the scheme. The indictment had alleged that López participated in a bribery arrangement covering commercial rights to Copa América and Copa Libertadores tournaments, and that his activities also helped Fox secure US broadcast rights to three consecutive World Cups.

The original FIFA corruption cases, filed in 2015, were at the time described as a landmark moment in global sports accountability. The Department of Justice pursued dozens of football officials across multiple continents. The fact that more than a decade later some of those indictments are being dismissed — rather than resulting in convictions — tells a story about the endurance of the accused and the institutional patience required to prosecute international sports corruption.

López and Full Play had maintained their innocence throughout. The dismissal does not constitute a finding of innocence, but it does mean no conviction will follow. For FIFA, an organisation that has survived enough corruption scandals to fill a reasonably sized reference library, the timing merely adds a chapter.