I've been thinking for a long time that the rest of the world needs to boycott this thing entirely, and it looks like a lot of them are. Good for them!
I hate it for American communities who have given tax breaks to rich dudes to build stadiums that already weren't likely to come close to paying back what they were given and now will just sit relatively empty, but I'm convinced that communities need to stop giving tax breaks for sports arenas just as they need to keep blocking AI behemoths.
I hope FIFA is proud of their peace prize recipient!
The maga rich arrogantly roll over the masses with increasingly repugnant travesties. World Cup symbolizes far more than sports rivalries. The boycott has already priced out common fans but the elites will simply take those seats. Takers financially enabled by "their representatives" on the take.
Whack a mole distractions assert normalcy in a UFC fantasy land.
Meanwhile, "This administration has put two things on a fast track to destruction. The hot button war over Iran’s uranium destroys peace and prosperity. The rush to mine Black Hills uranium destroys people and the sacred. Congress never authorized the war in Iran. They voted four times so far and failed to stop it. The Lakota people never consented to uranium extraction from treaty land. We’ve fought it for over 20 years and we’re still fighting."- Lakota People's Law Project
This "stuff" has been going on for a long time before the Don(g) smugly arrived but it seems like all the rats on his ship are gonna gleefully pee on (stake territory/grift) absolutely everything they can plot before the final crash.
How they might affect others is completely (often literally) inconsequential to their charmed lives. They act like every day is their friggin birthday.
Interesting perspective. I don't think the U.S. makes much of a "global showcase" these days, with its run-down infrastructure, public transit-as-afterthought, and of course the lawless ICE thugs, who might arrest, disappear or even kill a "foreign"-looking visitor at any moment.
plus the fact that border security are doing checks on our social media posts. And seeing as most people in Europe, think that Trump is a dickhead, we are highly likely to be turned around at the customs entry point.
I’m an immigration lawyer. The reality is that the U.S. is not safe for travel. I say it every single day. Over and over and over and over again.
The U.S. is not safe for travel. You can end up detained for a month for a traffic violation. You’ll get harassed at the airport. It’ll cost you a fortune to get out of detention and that’s not including lost wages and if you potentially lose your job because of it. It’ll cost you $150000 in legal fees alone and that’s not including the $20,000 you’ll have to post for bond.
It is not worth it to travel here. Go to Canada or Mexico instead.
I'm sorry Fred - I usually agree with most of your postings, and we all appreciate that you read and respond to Comments. However, on this thread, I believe you're being "too nice" to the US, CBP/ICE and the "administration" (sic).
As an Aussie, there is NO WAY I would risk travelling to the US, but would happily settle for CA and/or MX. The US and FIFA's approach sux, big time.
Yes, I am. But I’ve seen them more often than you’d think. I’ve seen U.S. citizens on a detained docket in immigration court - detained for a month or longer.
The things going on are enough to raise an alarm. Because the fact is - it doesn’t take much to end up in detention. A wrong answer on a form, a traffic violation, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And then you’ve got a real problem. And to me it just isn’t worth it. It is a great big world with lots of places to visit. Choose one that won’t potentially ruin your life.
This is good advice, and I cannot believe that FIFA was stupid enough to plan soccer games in the U.S. to begin with. I am a U.S. citizen who has emigrated to Mexico. Come to Mexico -- with its agreeable weather (in many places), friendly people, lovely food, less intrusive government (making one feel freer here) and lower costs overall.
It is horrific. I really feel badly for all the athletes and their families because it really isn’t safe to come here and they are being robbed of the joy of watching their kids compete after all the hard work and sacrifice. But it truly isn’t safe.
I never wish anything bad, but unfortunately something catastrophic has to happen for people to wake the fuck up.
I love the World Cup and that's where I'm headed - CMX. You don't even need to buy a ticket. There will be big screens set up in various locations and you can watch it all with hundreds of other knowledgeable fans on a lawn chair with a cooler of inexpensive Mexican beer.
Probably great, especially Mexico. First, interest soccer (fútbol) is baked right into the culture, as it is in may places outside the U.S. and especially Latin America, so why wouldn't soccer fans come to this country? And, overall costs will be lower for lodging, food and transportation. What many outside Mexico may not know is that one can find some very inexpensive airfares for domestic travel.
The outright greed and ripping off of potential visitors is very plain to see. Exposing the usa for what they really are. Greedy shakedown artists. Rip off as many people for as much as they can. They couldn't care less about the actual sport just the money. Same for the upcoming olympics - which is compromised and has sold out their soul and ethics permitting russia back in. Their athletes should never have been permitted to compete - period
Great writeup Fred. The whole thing is gut punching all the way. Do I enter a communist country that no one has said out loud IS a communist country? Your leader is untrustworthy & no one wants to come, running the risk of being grabbed & hauled off to Alcatraz Prison for no reason. If the rooms were free, I still wouldn't go. Sad for all the players & families. Happy Birthday Fred, make it a good one :)
Actually, the U.S. now is communist, if communism is defined as government control of the means of production. In August 2025 the U.S. bought a nearly 10% stake in major chipmaker Intel. Not a mere subsidy, not a tax break, but an equity stake. Welcome to the communist United States of America!
answering my own question, (which I should have done before I asked it,) Canadian and Mexican venues are fully booked. Unlike the U.S. so are the hotels, rooms, cars, etc.. It would appear that while U.S. venues are fully booked, they are booked by locals, not travelers. This means the hotels and travel business are not seeing the benefits they expected.
I've been thinking for a long time that the rest of the world needs to boycott this thing entirely, and it looks like a lot of them are. Good for them!
I hate it for American communities who have given tax breaks to rich dudes to build stadiums that already weren't likely to come close to paying back what they were given and now will just sit relatively empty, but I'm convinced that communities need to stop giving tax breaks for sports arenas just as they need to keep blocking AI behemoths.
I hope FIFA is proud of their peace prize recipient!
You can feel the frustration in that… and there’s a piece of truth in it.
The boycott angle is interesting...
but what we’re really seeing isn’t a coordinated boycott… it’s something quieter.
People just deciding it’s not worth the hassle.
That’s actually more powerful.
No protests. No headlines.
Just… empty seats.
And you’re right about the local communities...
they’re the ones left holding the bill.
Big events always promise “economic boost”…
but when the demand doesn’t show up, those projections fall apart fast.
This might end up being one of those turning-point moments where cities start asking...
“Are these mega-events actually worth it anymore?”
Yeah, I agree--a "quiet" boycott is probably more powerful because it hits differently, and that sends a strong message.
And if cities can start learning to use their dollars (and their space) more wisely, that could be a win/win.
Come to America and stay in a concentration camp
The maga rich arrogantly roll over the masses with increasingly repugnant travesties. World Cup symbolizes far more than sports rivalries. The boycott has already priced out common fans but the elites will simply take those seats. Takers financially enabled by "their representatives" on the take.
Whack a mole distractions assert normalcy in a UFC fantasy land.
Meanwhile, "This administration has put two things on a fast track to destruction. The hot button war over Iran’s uranium destroys peace and prosperity. The rush to mine Black Hills uranium destroys people and the sacred. Congress never authorized the war in Iran. They voted four times so far and failed to stop it. The Lakota people never consented to uranium extraction from treaty land. We’ve fought it for over 20 years and we’re still fighting."- Lakota People's Law Project
There’s a lot packed into that comment Eddie…
some of it valid, some of it drifting into “everything is connected to everything.”
Let’s separate the signal from the noise.
You’re right about one core piece...
Pricing is absolutely pushing out regular fans.
When tickets, travel, and everything around the event stack up the way they have…
the crowd naturally shifts toward people who can absorb those costs without blinking.
That’s not new... but it’s getting more extreme.
Where I’d push back a bit is the idea of a coordinated “elite takeover.”
What we’re seeing isn’t some clean, organized handoff…
It’s messier than that.
Some seats may go to higher-income buyers
Some to corporate blocks
But a surprising number? They’re just not selling at all
That’s the part that should raise eyebrows.
On the broader political angle...
Iran, resource extraction, all of that...
those are real issues, but they’re running on their own tracks.
Trying to tie every global conflict directly into one event can muddy the point.
And the point here is already strong enough without stretching it...
When costs spike and trust drops… participation falls.
The simplest way to look at this...
This isn’t about left vs right.
It’s not even really about politics at the surface level.
It’s about access and perception.
If people feel...
priced out
unwelcome
or unsure what they’re walking into...
They don’t show up.
And when enough people make that same quiet decision…
You don’t need a boycott.
You get empty seats anyway.
I assert that Make America Great Again (maga) rich are a distinct branch of rich. I'm not implicating rich people in general.
You're absolutely right. So much wrong out there . . .
This "stuff" has been going on for a long time before the Don(g) smugly arrived but it seems like all the rats on his ship are gonna gleefully pee on (stake territory/grift) absolutely everything they can plot before the final crash.
Yep, seems to be their objective.
And a lot of innocent people are getting steamrolled.
How they might affect others is completely (often literally) inconsequential to their charmed lives. They act like every day is their friggin birthday.
Wanna bet the same thing happens for the upcoming Olympic Games in L.A. ? Might make it easier for the locals to enjoy some world class sports.
There’s a decent chance we see some overlap… but it won’t be a copy-paste situation.
The Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 is a different animal.
Shorter window. Centralized venues. More domestic attendance baked in.
That said… the same pressure points are sitting there...
cost
travel friction
perception of “is it worth the hassle?”
If those don’t get addressed, you could absolutely see softer international turnout.
But here’s the twist…
If crowds thin out, locals do get a better shot at experiencing it without getting squeezed out.
Cheaper tickets. Less chaos. Easier access.
So yeah... worst case for the organizers…
might actually be a pretty good deal for people living nearby.
Not exactly the global showcase they were hoping for…
but a very expensive local sports festival instead.
Interesting perspective. I don't think the U.S. makes much of a "global showcase" these days, with its run-down infrastructure, public transit-as-afterthought, and of course the lawless ICE thugs, who might arrest, disappear or even kill a "foreign"-looking visitor at any moment.
plus the fact that border security are doing checks on our social media posts. And seeing as most people in Europe, think that Trump is a dickhead, we are highly likely to be turned around at the customs entry point.
There’s a lot of anxiety around that right now…
but it’s worth separating what’s confirmed from what’s getting amplified.
Border agents can ask to look at devices or social media in some cases...
that’s not new.
But it’s not a blanket “we scan everyone’s opinions and send them home” system either.
Most travelers still get through the normal way: passport, a few questions, done.
That said… perception matters more than policy here.
If people believe they might get hassled, questioned, or judged for what they’ve posted...
a lot of them just won’t take the chance.
They don’t need to be denied entry…
They just need to decide not to come.
And that’s the thread running through all of this...
It’s not one big rule keeping people out.
It’s a pile of smaller concerns stacking up... visas, costs, politics, uncertainty.
Individually manageable.
Together? Enough to make someone say, “I’ll watch it from home.”
I’m an immigration lawyer. The reality is that the U.S. is not safe for travel. I say it every single day. Over and over and over and over again.
The U.S. is not safe for travel. You can end up detained for a month for a traffic violation. You’ll get harassed at the airport. It’ll cost you a fortune to get out of detention and that’s not including lost wages and if you potentially lose your job because of it. It’ll cost you $150000 in legal fees alone and that’s not including the $20,000 you’ll have to post for bond.
It is not worth it to travel here. Go to Canada or Mexico instead.
You're describing worst-case scenarios Jessica, not the typical traveler experience.
But… perception is the real issue here.
People don’t wait to find out what’s true... they just avoid the risk.
And when enough people think that way…
They don’t protest.
They just don’t show up.
I'm sorry Fred - I usually agree with most of your postings, and we all appreciate that you read and respond to Comments. However, on this thread, I believe you're being "too nice" to the US, CBP/ICE and the "administration" (sic).
As an Aussie, there is NO WAY I would risk travelling to the US, but would happily settle for CA and/or MX. The US and FIFA's approach sux, big time.
Fair pushback, Pete... and I totally get where you’re coming from.
I’m not trying to be “nice”… just accurate.
There are real concerns, no question.
But it’s not the same experience for everyone, and painting it as universally unsafe loses some credibility.
That said... your decision is exactly the point...
You’d choose Canada or Mexico instead.
And when enough people make that same call…
That’s the story.
Yes, I am. But I’ve seen them more often than you’d think. I’ve seen U.S. citizens on a detained docket in immigration court - detained for a month or longer.
The things going on are enough to raise an alarm. Because the fact is - it doesn’t take much to end up in detention. A wrong answer on a form, a traffic violation, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And then you’ve got a real problem. And to me it just isn’t worth it. It is a great big world with lots of places to visit. Choose one that won’t potentially ruin your life.
Jessica DeFalco - You are so awesome to give completely honest advice to clients/potential clients. I applaud you!
Hey. I mean if they end up here anyway they know who to call, right? 😉
Absolutely! Great point :) Cheers to a LOAD of new clients!
This is good advice, and I cannot believe that FIFA was stupid enough to plan soccer games in the U.S. to begin with. I am a U.S. citizen who has emigrated to Mexico. Come to Mexico -- with its agreeable weather (in many places), friendly people, lovely food, less intrusive government (making one feel freer here) and lower costs overall.
Mexico’s definitely going to benefit from this... no question.
But I wouldn’t call FIFA stupid…
the FIFA World Cup in North America made sense on paper.
Big markets. Big infrastructure. Big money.
What they didn’t factor in?
How fast perception can turn.
And once it does… people don’t compare destinations.
They just pick the one that feels easier.
What do we know about hotel bookings and ticket sales in Canada and Mexico compared to the US? I know my guess, but I'd like to seem some data.
I can’t believe we are having the Olympics.
It is horrific. I really feel badly for all the athletes and their families because it really isn’t safe to come here and they are being robbed of the joy of watching their kids compete after all the hard work and sacrifice. But it truly isn’t safe.
I never wish anything bad, but unfortunately something catastrophic has to happen for people to wake the fuck up.
I love the World Cup and that's where I'm headed - CMX. You don't even need to buy a ticket. There will be big screens set up in various locations and you can watch it all with hundreds of other knowledgeable fans on a lawn chair with a cooler of inexpensive Mexican beer.
Whoa, COOL. sounds perfect. Thanks for the tip!
Disappointed to see Toronto, Canada deciding to charge for the *free* fan experiences.
I’m wondering how Canada & Mexico will do?.
Probably great, especially Mexico. First, interest soccer (fútbol) is baked right into the culture, as it is in may places outside the U.S. and especially Latin America, so why wouldn't soccer fans come to this country? And, overall costs will be lower for lodging, food and transportation. What many outside Mexico may not know is that one can find some very inexpensive airfares for domestic travel.
The US is not a safe place for humans and other living things.
The outright greed and ripping off of potential visitors is very plain to see. Exposing the usa for what they really are. Greedy shakedown artists. Rip off as many people for as much as they can. They couldn't care less about the actual sport just the money. Same for the upcoming olympics - which is compromised and has sold out their soul and ethics permitting russia back in. Their athletes should never have been permitted to compete - period
There’s definitely some price gouging going on Brian... no argument there.
But it’s not just “greed” or one country… it’s the whole mega-event model now.
Big organizations, host cities, sponsors... everyone tries to take their slice.
Push it too far though, and people tap out.
And that’s what we’re starting to see.
I'm not sure the locals will come either... Fifa football is,at best the fifth most popular sport.
That’s fair... in the U.S., soccer isn’t top of the food chain.
But for the FIFA World Cup, locals usually aren’t the main story anyway…
it’s international fans who fill the seats.
If they don’t show up, locals can’t fully replace that demand.
That’s when things start to feel… empty.
Good point. Even those who are fans of fútbol likely will be repelled by the excessive costs and ticket prices.
And the presence of ICE
Another reason to go to México or Canada. We value the beautiful game.
Great writeup Fred. The whole thing is gut punching all the way. Do I enter a communist country that no one has said out loud IS a communist country? Your leader is untrustworthy & no one wants to come, running the risk of being grabbed & hauled off to Alcatraz Prison for no reason. If the rooms were free, I still wouldn't go. Sad for all the players & families. Happy Birthday Fred, make it a good one :)
Appreciate that Patsy... and thank you 😊
I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a communist country… but the bigger issue is trust.
Once people feel uncertain or unwelcome, that’s enough.
They don’t argue it... they just stay home.
And yeah… tough on the players and fans who just wanted a great tournament.
Actually, the U.S. now is communist, if communism is defined as government control of the means of production. In August 2025 the U.S. bought a nearly 10% stake in major chipmaker Intel. Not a mere subsidy, not a tax break, but an equity stake. Welcome to the communist United States of America!
That’s a stretch.
Governments taking stakes in key industries isn’t new...
and it doesn’t make a country communist.
You see similar moves in plenty of capitalist countries when it comes to strategic sectors like tech, energy, or banking.
Call it intervention, call it industrial policy… but it’s not a system-wide shift.
Bigger picture here?
These kinds of debates just add to the noise...
and reinforce that sense of uncertainty people are already reacting to.
The trouble with quite a lot of Americans is that they cannot tell the difference between Communism and Socialism. More civics classes might help.
Surprised no one's asked, but how are the numbers looking for Canada and Mexico attendance?
answering my own question, (which I should have done before I asked it,) Canadian and Mexican venues are fully booked. Unlike the U.S. so are the hotels, rooms, cars, etc.. It would appear that while U.S. venues are fully booked, they are booked by locals, not travelers. This means the hotels and travel business are not seeing the benefits they expected.
And the Olympics is next. The US has thrown the welcome mat in the dumpster fire
Yeah Randy… that’s the sentiment a lot of people are starting to voice.
But here’s the reality check...
The 2028 Summer Olympics is still likely to draw big crowds overall...
early reports even show strong ticket demand and efforts to keep some prices low.
That said…
There are concerns bubbling under the surface...
visas and entry friction
rising ticket prices
general “is it worth the hassle?” feeling
So it’s not that the welcome mat is gone…
It’s that it’s starting to look a little wrinkled.
And if they don’t smooth that out?
Same pattern as the World Cup... people don’t complain…
They just don’t come.
Hopefully some of the teams will stay home too, why risk it?
America has become a global pariah!
Now we must also factor in the fuel shortage and pricing it brings up
And Summer Olympics in 2 years will be a repeat.
That’s the fear Richard…
But it’s not a lock.
Early signs for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 are mixed...
Strong initial ticket demand
But concerns about visas and rising prices are already popping up
So it could go either way.
If they smooth out access and costs → big crowds.
If not → same pattern… people quietly opt out.
Hey, if you’re coming, take a right and head north. Spend those dollars at your Canadian vacation!