FIFA is canceling its reserved hotel rooms in World Cup host cities - but nobody is saying why [View all]

Source: The Independent

Monday 23 March 2026 16:33 EDT


FIFA has cancelled the reservations for thousands of hotel rooms originally reserved for this year's World Cup event in Philadelphia, but hasn’t said why.

Approximately 2,000 hotel rooms have been cancelled by FIFA, the world soccer organization, at hotels in the city, according to the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association. The group had previously blocked off approximately 10,000 rooms.

Ed Grose, the president of the Philadelphia Hotel Association, told ABC 6 that the bulk of the cancellations were at four City Center hotels. He also told reporters that FIFA did not provide a reason for the cancellations, but acted within the terms of its contract and was not penalized for the cancellations. The Independent has requested comment from FIFA and the Philadelphia Hotel Association.

FIFA hotel cancellations are hitting other U.S. host cities as well, according to Grose. He said it's unclear how the cancellations will affect hotel pricing, but he encouraged fans who are looking for rooms not to wait to book their stays.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/fifa-world-cup-2026-hotel-rooms-host-cities-b2944127.html

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This was big news here. We do have a pile of big events going on here this year for obvious reasons but I suppose the hotels are obviously flummoxed.