FIFA has cancelled more than 2,000 hotel rooms in World Cup host cities just months before the 2026 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The cancellations have affected all 16 host cities, with Philadelphia and Mexico City seeing significant reductions.
In Philadelphia, 2,000 of the 10,000 rooms originally booked by FIFA have been cancelled. Ed Grose, President of the Philadelphia Hotel Association, told ABC 6: “While we were not excited about that, it’s not the end of the world either. These are rooms that are going to be put back out on the marketplace and sold to fans who want to come to Philadelphia.”
Similarly, in Mexico City, 800 of the 2,000 rooms booked by FIFA have been cancelled. Alberto Albarran Leyva, director general of Mexico City’s Hotel Association, told ESPN: “FIFA booked 2,000 rooms months ago to prevent [running short] and guarantee its operation. Over time, it cancelled some reservations because it realised that it was no longer going to use them. There is no other reason or other type of context.”
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed that overbooking rooms for technical staff, teams, referees, and operations personnel is standard practice, with unneeded rooms released once numbers are confirmed closer to the tournament. The move is the latest in a series of logistical challenges facing the governing body, including stadium branding issues in Atlanta and concerns over visa rules for certain players.
FIFA is also facing criticism over dynamic ticket pricing, with Football Supporters Europe lodging a complaint with the European Commission. FIFA has responded by stating it is ensuring “fair access to our game for existing and prospective fans” and highlighting that World Cup profits are reinvested into the sport.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on 11 June, with England beginning their campaign on 17 June against Croatia.
