NYT: Don't Let Trump Destroy the World Cup

Nice article, but I don't get how he forgot Qatar 2022.

A hellhole. The England team, supposed LGBT allies, ditched their rainbow armbands. The stadiums were built by literal slaves.

Nobody gave a sh!t.

As much as I loathe Trump, is the 2026 really that bad?

Updated On: 3/3/26 at 06:43 PM

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Nice article, but I don't get how he forgot Qatar 2022.

A hellhole. The England team, supposed LGBT allies, ditched their rainbow armbands. The stadiums were built by literal slaves.

Nobody gave a sh!t.

As much as I loathe Trump, is the 2026 really that bad?"

Curious to see if ICE will be stationed at each match as he's been saying he plans to do. More waste of tax payer money.

You could very well be right, but I wouldn't be quite so smug that what happens with one event is a guarantee of what will happen with another.

Zeppie2022 said: "Funny how the WBC (World Baseball Classic) justset records with people from foreign countries attending games in US stadiums. I guess these people's love of the sport of baseball won out over Trump being POTUS. Trust me, the love of the World Cup will not stop people from coming here for the games."

No, but the general chaos in American airports plus the spectre of roaming ICE agents might.

Zeppie2022 said: "ErikJ972 said: "Zeppie2022 said: "Funny how the WBC (World Baseball Classic) justset records with people from foreign countries attending games in US stadiums. I guess these people's love of the sport of baseball won out over Trump being POTUS. Trust me, the love of the World Cup will not stop people from coming here for the games."

No, but the general chaos in American airports plus the spectre of roaming ICE agents might."

You would hope this problem will be resolved by June!!!

With this administration there is a good chance things will be worse in June.
"

Guardian US: Fans and players from five African World Cup countries face $15,000 bond to enter US

"A newly expanded policy from the Trump administration could require travelers from five World Cup-qualified countries to front a bond of up to $15,000 in order to enter the United States for the tournament.

"

Even if affordable for some fans, the multi-thousand dollar requirement will be another headache to add to the list of potential complications for fans from those countries, including high ticket prices for the games themselves, hotel prices that are far above average, plus other visa processing delays and potential safety issues created by the presence of federal immigration officers from ICE and other agencies in US cities.

"It is unclear which entities, if any, will be exempt from the visa bonds. While Trump’s travel bans contains exemptions for athletes and officials participating in major sporting events like the World Cup, the visa bonds program contains no such exemption."

Don't let Trump destroy the World Cup but no outage from our liberal BWW friends about NJ Transit marking up RT fare from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium by 800%. The standard fare is $12.90 but will be $150 for the World Cup.

ErikJ972 said: "It's not $150. And good for Mike Sherrill for looking out for NJ taxpayers.

New Jersey cuts World Cup fare by 30 percent"

It was originally announced at $150; it has now been reduced to $105 which is still absurd.

Zeppie2022 said: "ErikJ972 said: "It's not $150. And good for Mike Sherrill for looking out for NJ taxpayers.

New Jersey cuts World Cup fare by 30 percent"

It was originally announced at $150; it has now been reduced to $105 which is still absurd.

Wrong again. What is absurd is the actions of FIFA closing off parking and expecting the state of NJ to carry the burdern. Sherrill responded appropriately. If you want to be mad, be mad at FIFA. They are just as evil as Trump.

"

Updated On: 5/8/26 at 01:05 PM

Since yoir original message mentioned "liberal BWW friends" I am guessing you were suggesting we should be outraged at our Democratic Gov. That's where you would be wrong. The outrage should be directed at FIFA.

The World Cup is screwing N.J., plain and simple. We pay, FIFA profits, NYC celebrates.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/11/canadians-visiting-us

Interesting podcast from NPR's "Fresh Air" this week (June 9, 2026). Listen or download here:

How Sky-high Ticket Prices, War & Politics Could Impact the World Cup

"The biggest World Cup ever starts this week. Laura Williamson, editor in chief of The Athletic, describes how sky-high prices, travel restrictions, politics and the Ebola outbreak are impacting fans. Williamson also discusses President Trump’s UFC event on the White House lawn. "

I was blind-sided by how FIFA's (not Trump's) corruption is tainting the Games, especially in regards to ticket pricing and FIFA's dynamic pricing strategy, which makes even just purchasing tickets unattainable for the majority of fans.

The discussion goes beyond just the issue of ticket prices, though. There's also discussion about restrictions/conditions on the Iranian players and their entourage being allowed into the US, worries regarding the Ebola virus, controversy/favoritism regarding FIFA's so-called "peace prize", and a lot more that I'd not considered before listening to this podcast.

I found it very interesting.