Football (Soccer) Thread

[crazy canuck]

FIFA has started cancelling hotel bookings at host cities across North America.  In Vancouver, FIFA has now cancelled 80% of its room bookings.

[Duque de Bragança]

Yet I am sure all is well according to Gianni.

[Jacob]

FIFA has started cancelling hotel bookings at host cities across North America.  In Vancouver, FIFA has now cancelled 80% of its room bookings.

What are these rooms typically used for?

Are these rooms for FIFA staff? For team players? Or are they part of FIFA providing places to stay for some fans?

[Duque de Bragança]

FIFA staff and whatever parters.

These rooms are set aside for FIFA staff, media organizations, and attendees.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rickellis/2026/03/20/fifa-cancels-thousands-of-hotel-rooms-in-world-cup-host-cities/

From the Forbes article.

[Jacob]

So this indicates fewer staff and significantly less interest from partners to attend, I suppose.

Thanks.

[Syt]

Say about Russia what you will, they at least waited until after the Sochi Olympics (by a couple days) before going into Crimea on 2014.

[Jacob]

Say about Russia what you will, they at least waited until after the Sochi Olympics (by a couple days) before going into Crimea on 2014.

Yeah, but that's because the smooth running of the Olympics were seen as reflecting on Russian state prestige.

The US doesn't give a fuck about soccer in the big scheme of things and the current regime only understands prestige in terms of intimidation, homage, and grift opportunities. Competently executing complex public events providing a common good is completely alien to their way of thinking.

[Syt]

What if FIFA gives Trump a new shiny plaque every week till the World Cup is done?

[Jacob]

What if FIFA gives Trump a new shiny plaque every week till the World Cup is done?

FIFA has already put itself in the "supplicant to be exploited" role, and is being treated as such. That means its needs and desires doesn't matter.

If it were the Summer Olympics entirely in the US, then a "this is a sad and pathetic Olympics, it makes the US look incompetent and crap" then it might matter. Americans might care, and the narrative about a prestige hit would matter.

But it's soccer - Americans don't really care and any foreign displeasure can be reframed as "anti-American whining" - and it's staged among three countries. Sure there'll be a brief story about it being a dud, but it'll be brief and won't really affect American prestige in a way that matters to Americans.

That's my take anyhow.