Perhaps the most unexpected casualty of the geopolitical turmoil: the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to Ta Nea, FIFA has cancelled reservations for approximately 2,000 hotel rooms in Philadelphia and another 800 in Mexico City — rooms originally earmarked for the tournament. Senior FIFA officials are reportedly alarmed about the commercial viability of the event, with the war in Iran, US domestic instability, and American foreign policy combining to cast doubt over the tournament’s appeal.
The cancellations are an early, tangible sign that the conflict’s economic shockwaves extend well beyond energy markets and into the global events industry.
