FIFA: a big mistake?

Taylor C. Noakes has a good piece on the CBC site about the massive cost and conditions involved in hosting even a small part of the 2026 World Cup here: “FIFA demands that the host city refrain from promoting any other major sporting event in the year preceding the World Cup; that no major cultural events occur on the day of, after and before a game” – well, what about the Grand Prix? Will it have to be held in silence in the lead-up to a couple of early stage games in 2026? Will any summer festival have to go dark during that time?

Noakes also reminds us that “FIFA also demands the city be made as attractive as possible and — astoundingly — reserves the right to rename official venues.”

And this is all besides the many, many millions that will go into the project.