The NCAP Soccerball Thread
- Thread starter AndyRM
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Rusty Nails
Country Member
The difficulty they have in making their application is they probably all have families still in Iran who could face some sort of retribution.
Ian H
Shaman
I've always had my suspicions about what he did to the kangaroo. I expect he got a kick out of it.
First Aspect
Legendary Member
No, they have assurances from Trump that Iran will be welcome at the world cup. Not the same thing.
Pblakeney
Legendary Member
...only to be detained by ICE.
First Aspect
Legendary Member
Pblakeney
Legendary Member
This came to my attention and it makes you wonder what is happening. FIFA have cancelled thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of hotel rooms for the WC. Apologies for the source but it is one of the few without interference. Only mentions a couple of cities but it is happening in all the host cities.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/38631216/fifa-cancel-hotel-rooms-world-cup/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/38631216/fifa-cancel-hotel-rooms-world-cup/
icowden
Pharaoh
Has any reported bothered to find out whether this is just standard policy and whether it happened in other world cups.
It doesn't seem that strange to me.
Chief Exec "just book out 2000 rooms in each host city - check the cancellation policy - we can firm up numbers and then drop what we don't need nearer the time".
Pblakeney
Legendary Member
Ah, so the explanation is "we don't know what we are doing". Fine.
I mean, dropping a few rooms is easily explainable but to overbook by 2000 in each city?
icowden
Pharaoh
I asked Gemini:
Yes, FIFA standardly overbooks hotel rooms for staff, officials, and teams as a precaution for the World Cup, releasing excess rooms closer to the tournament. While considered normal practice, the volume of cancellations in 2026—including thousands in host cities like Philadelphia and Vancouver—has been higher than usual, impacting many bookings. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key Details Regarding 2026 Hotel Cancellations
- Common Practice: It is standard for FIFA to secure a vast number of rooms early (e.g., 10,000 in Philadelphia) to guarantee capacity, then release them as actual needs become clearer.
- Large-Scale Releases: The 2026 tournament has seen particularly high volumes of cancellations compared to previous events. Examples include ~2,000 rooms in Philadelphia and ~800 in Mexico City.
- Impact on Availability: While these cancellations are frustrating for hotels, they generally put rooms back into the market for fans, according to Yahoo Finance.
- Timing: The, releases often happen just months before the tournament kicks off, as seen in Philadelphia. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
UglyWithaSidePart
Regular
I'm not a football fan at all, but I have enjoyed the International game or two. I doubt I will watch this year, it just seems wrong.
FIFA haven't just crossed the line with corruption, they've sprinted over it while waving their arms in the air.
At the very most, I might watch one game, but it will be watched without any feedback that tells 'them' I've watched it. So no streaming etc.
I'm sort of hoping it's a massive blunder, I wouldn't miss FIFA.
FIFA haven't just crossed the line with corruption, they've sprinted over it while waving their arms in the air.
At the very most, I might watch one game, but it will be watched without any feedback that tells 'them' I've watched it. So no streaming etc.
I'm sort of hoping it's a massive blunder, I wouldn't miss FIFA.
midlandsgrimpeur
Senior Member
I will watch but I can't stand FIFA. I take solace in the separation (in my head at least!) of the actual football and real fans from FIFA and all other governing bodies; UEFA, Premier League and so on. I still think the game belongs to fans, regardless of what FIFA et al do. People will say that is naive, but if fans chose to walk away then the game is dead in the water.
Pblakeney
Legendary Member
...but they never do.
