FIFA cancels hotel bookings in Philadelphia for 2026 World Cup
What's the story
FIFA has canceled a couple of thousand hotel room bookings in Philadelphia, one of the host cities for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. The decision comes less than 100 days before the tournament is set to kick off on June 11. The US, Mexico, and Canada are co-hosting this year's edition with a total of 48 teams participating.
Procedure
2,000 reservations were canceled
FIFA had initially booked nearly 10,000 hotel rooms for match officials and other crew members. However, as the tournament date approaches, the organization has canceled around 2,000 of those reservations. The cancelations are part of a standard procedure after an initial overbooking to prevent potential shortages later on. Ed Grose, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, confirmed that four Centre City hotels were most affected by FIFA's cancelations.
Contract terms
All actions were taken in accordance with FIFA's contract terms
Despite the cancelations, Grose clarified that all actions were taken in accordance with FIFA's contract terms and no penalties would be imposed on the football organization. "While we were not excited about that, it's not the end of the world either," Grose said as reported by ABC's Action News. The canceled rooms will now be made available for fans wanting to visit Philadelphia during this global sporting event.
Tournament details
A look at the host cities in the US
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will kick off on June 11, with the US hosting the opening match on June 12 in Los Angeles. Apart from LA, other US cities hosting matches include Atlanta, Dallas, Boston, Houston, Kansas City, Miami New York/New Jersey), Philadelphia Seattle and San Francisco Bay Area.