Buzz's final 2026 World Cup tournament thread. The World Cup starts June 11, 2026. Let the countdown begin! 😁 ⚽️ 🏟 🌎

[AlohaNow]

Next in the FIFA Ban Cup... vuvuzelas.

Ha, ha. Best of luck enforcing this one. When we attended a COPA knockout match at AT&T we were surprised when Venezuela scored and fireworks starting going off in the stadium in a section across from us. If fans can smuggle in pyrotechnics, they can smuggle in vuvuzelas.

FIFA should research that Taylor Swift concert death incident.

It’s just more money grabbing disguised as a safety/security concern. All for Coca-Cola to get more money.

My first thought was the Taylor Swift thing.

 

[hardcorestitch]

More context on this UNSAFE ban from a news channel in co host country Canada:

 

[Brian Noble]

I am a fairly big fan in general. I’m a member of our local club, with sides in USL2 and USLW. EPL is on most weekend mornings and MLS most evenings in season. I am a frequent flyer at Michigan and EMU matches, men’s and women’s.

And I could not be less interested in this tournament. I do not care and do not plan to watch. The whole thing has just left a horrible taste in my mouth.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I am a fairly big fan in general. I’m a member of our local club, with sides in USL2 and USLW. EPL is on most weekend mornings and MLS most evenings in season. I am a frequent flyer at Michigan and EMU matches, men’s and women’s.

And I could not be less interested in this tournament. I do not care and do not plan to watch. The whole thing has just left a horrible taste in my mouth.

I see where you’re coming from. But the reusable water ban is literally THE PR NIGHTMARE of all the cons surrounding the World Cup this run.

That water bottle ban was sponsored by Coca-Cola… the owners of Dasani. They want to give you a reason to buy their double digit priced water bottles. I’m dead serious. There are going to be lawsuits coming if there are excess number of heat deaths.

EVEN DISNEY WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING AS INHUMAN AS THIS.

 

[Brian Noble]

I was already disinclined to watch before the water bottle thing. The way ticketing has been handled, the rapacious nature of sports media generaly is all part of it.

I'm also thinking hard about not renewing my Fubo sports bundle for the college and NFL football seasons this fall. I ended up watching a lot less than usual last Fall, and I disocvered I did not really miss it.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Most of the college games on the extra channels were likely “cupcake” games… not to mention ABC has been simulcasting a lot more games… they’re even going to simulcast the natty in 2027!

I was already disinclined to watch before the water bottle thing. The way ticketing has been handled, the rapacious nature of sports media generaly is all part of it.

I'm also thinking hard about not renewing my Fubo sports bundle for the college and NFL football seasons this fall. I ended up watching a lot less than usual last Fall, and I disocvered I did not really miss it.

 

[Brian Noble]

No, what I mean by that is: I'm not going to subscribe to anything beyond the few streamers that are comped through something else I am already doing. No marginal dollars spent on TV.

So, no Fubo (or Youtube TV or DirecTV or Sling or cable or ...) at all. The only reason I was subscrbing to anything that was "live TV" was for sports. WIth the increasing fragmentation of leagues I cared about across a dozen different providers, I've had enough. I am not going to subscribe to linear plus Peacock plus Prime plus plus plus.

Enough.

And if they are losing an old-school degenerate sports fan like me, they might be nearing a tipping point.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I admit that I haven't read all 8 pages, so I don't know if this has been talked about, but what about those outrageously expensive World Cup tickets? They're well over a thousand dollars apiece this time. For the last World Cup, we (family of 4) flew to a game, paid for taxi to/from stadium-airport, paid for our 4 game tickets for less than a thousand dollars TOTAL. That's crazy, even with inflation. That's part of the reason why people in NYC are going crazy for the lottery for $50 tickets (and that price includes transportation). DS entered and he said that if you tried to enter more than a minute or two after the lottery opened every day, it would be "full" (I forget what the maximum # of entries was every day. But at least it shows that soccer does have a # of fans!

 

[hardcorestitch]

I admit that I haven't read all 8 pages, so I don't know if this has been talked about, but what about those outrageously expensive World Cup tickets? They're well over a thousand dollars apiece this time. For the last World Cup, we (family of 4) flew to a game, paid for taxi to/from stadium-airport, paid for our 4 game tickets for less than a thousand dollars TOTAL. That's crazy, even with inflation. That's part of the reason why people in NYC are going crazy for the lottery for $50 tickets (and that price includes transportation). DS entered and he said that if you tried to enter more than a minute or two after the lottery opened every day, it would be "full" (I forget what the maximum # of entries was every day. But at least it shows that soccer does have a # of fans!

Indeed… for the rest of America this will be a TV only event since FIFA only cares about the rich.

 

[bcla]

I see where you’re coming from. But the reusable water ban is literally THE PR NIGHTMARE of all the cons surrounding the World Cup this run.

That water bottle ban was sponsored by Coca-Cola… the owners of Dasani. They want to give you a reason to buy their double digit priced water bottles. I’m dead serious. There are going to be lawsuits coming if there are excess number of heat deaths.

EVEN DISNEY WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING AS INHUMAN AS THIS.

They backed off it. Attendees will be allowed to bring in a single (up to 20 oz) factory sealed bottle of water. I guess that’s the standard soft drink size, and what Coke and Pepsi sell as their purified water singles. The demonstration is of a single bottle of Glaceau Smartwater, of course from a WC sponsor.

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Granted, I’ve seen 500 ml bottles of bottled water tossed onto a field. It’s marginally less dangerous than a hard sided bottle. But this only made sense since they were allowing the sale of similar bottled water.

 

[bcla]

I do remember a temporary restriction at an MLB stadium once after there were quite a few cases of people tossing bottles onto the field. But it wasn’t a ban but a requirement that bottle caps had to be removed at the entrance, and any bottles sold inside would have caps removed. I guess the idea was that it’s harder to throw and hit when the liquid starts to leak. But I just slipped a few caps into my pocket because it made it hard to prevent leaking in my cooler if it tipped over.

I’ve seen all manner of restrictions. At one venue, only bottled water in plastic was allowed, but others allowed any beverage in a sealed plastic container. For the former I actually brought carbonated mineral water.

 

[barkley]

some lucky locals will be able to watch team egypt practice this week via a random lottery for a limited amount of tickets. fan zone events are free as well unless you want the 'vip experience'.

 

[hardcorestitch]

some lucky locals will be able to watch team egypt practice this week via a random lottery for a limited amount of tickets. fan zone events are free as well unless you want the 'vip experience'.

Don’t give FEEFA any ideas about the fan zones…

 

[bcla]

some lucky locals will be able to watch team egypt practice this week via a random lottery for a limited amount of tickets. fan zone events are free as well unless you want the 'vip experience'.

I remember seeing a team in the 1994 World Cup practicing. Admission was free, but the school made money on parking and concessions. It was easy to see the practices going on from higher levels in campus buildings.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I remember seeing a team in the 1994 World Cup practicing. Admission was free, but the school made money on parking and concessions. It was easy to see the practices going on from higher levels in campus buildings.

School: covers up windows with Coca Cola ads to force you to go down

 

[citruscurtis]

Santa Clara celebration making local news filler

 

[hardcorestitch]

Next up in the FIFA Ban Cup... hotel rooms for regular fans.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/fi...a3fcc8286464a67d591aa1d9f2ad38b&ei=33#image=6

 

[sam_gordon]

Next up in the FIFA Ban Cup... hotel rooms for regular fans.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/fi...a3fcc8286464a67d591aa1d9f2ad38b&ei=33#image=6

How is that a ban? Sounds like FIFA had reserved a block of rooms and have now released them.

Did they cancel people's reservations? Are they preventing people from booking? THAT would be a "ban".

 

[hardcorestitch]

How is that a ban? Sounds like FIFA had reserved a block of rooms and have now released them.

Did they cancel people's reservations? Are they preventing people from booking? THAT would be a "ban".

The open ended agreements that FIFA had effectively restricted a ton of things cities could do in response to the Cup.

 

[sam_gordon]

The open ended agreements that FIFA had effectively restricted a ton of things cities could do in response to the Cup.

So? Did they restrict being able to rent hotel rooms? All I'm asking is what "ban" you were referring to?