Hi everybody, I know this is kind of random. I'm working on a news story about long visa wait times ahead of 2026. If you know anybody who's facing a really long wait -- and can talk to me -- can you please DM me? I would love to chat to them (or you if you are being impacted). It's a big issue for some people and I'm keen to shine a spotlight on it.
A couple of things of note for 2026 NYC has effectively banned AirBnB. Same for all of BC (canada) . Check ahead of time and be aware of Airbnb situation in your target cities. For NYC, your only alternative may be across the river, in NJ. I highly suggest you try facebook groups (msg me for info) for accommodation or maybe even a separate thread of NYC accommodation. Food prices in several metros are astronomical due to changes in local laws. If you are on a budget, consider accommodation w kitchen, or at least, a microwave. It is possible to book bus fares in advance which may be extremely cheap vs rail or plane. Not sure if mentioned already in thread, but presale only 1 year away
FIFA habilitó un registro para la personas que quieran enterarse al instante cuando se abra el proceso de reservas de entradas para la Copa del Mundo 2026 de Estados Unidos, México y Canadá:https://t.co/CHhyo6rDOt— Gastón Edul (@gastonedul) August 10, 2024
I found this on Foreign Policy Magazine. The World Cup Is Coming to America—and Heading for Disaster https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/08/11/world-cup-united-states-2026-germany-qatar-russia-olympics
They've predicted the same thing for every World Cup since 2010. Foreign fans were going to get kidnapped and/or necklaced in South Africa, they were going to get robbed and killed in the favalas of Rio, they were going to be rounded up by the FSB in Russia, or flogged by the Qataris for being gay, Jewish or drunk. The worst we got in the end were vuvuzuelas.
The travel distances will be large, but I'm amused that the scary itinerary they posit is "Atlanta to New Jersey to Miami." That's shorter travel than Rio to Salvador to Porto Alegre in 2014, which wouldn't have been anywhere near the biggest travel burden in that World Cup. Atlanta to New Jersey is nearer than Johannesburg to Cape Town. They could have at least pointed out the coast-to-coast and international travel that will be actually difficult.
Yeah, its the first time I've ever seen someone point to California as an example of "lack of population density". That is indeed quite stupid. Sure, there are other parts of the world with a higher population density, but California is not sparsely populated by any stretch of the imagine.
Large parts of California are sparsely populated but nowhere near where they'll be playing the World Cup. Humboldt County is a third the size of Belgium with a hundredth of the population.
Yeah, that's why it was a stupid example - because there are so many better examples across America to use. In other news, California has about the same population density as Spain.
I can't get through the paywall to read the article, but the headline makes we wonder whether the magazine is aware that this is not the first time the World Cup has been held in the United States.
And if you draw a line about 200 km north of the Santa Clara stadium and look at the lower 75% of the land, which has over 95% of the population, the density is about the same as France or Poland. And that remaining 75% includes mountainous backcountry with about 40 peaks over 3000m, as well as the mostly unpopulated Mojave Desert.
1994 is not mentioned in the article. It did compare the US' motivation to host this World Cup to that of the hosts in 1934, 1978, 2018, and 2022.
The US isn't hosting this World Cup. It's co-hosting. Also I don't remember any politicians being involved in the bid.
I might be renting out my apartment in midtown Manhattan for this World Cup since I know the demand to stay in a good location will be crazy.
FIFA signs first major 2026 sponsorship with Bank of America: https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/08/16/fifa-signs-first-major-2026-sponsorship-bank-america/
A red flag for the 2026 World Cup: Getting U.S. visas in time https://www.boisestatepublicradio.o...-the-2026-world-cup-getting-u-s-visas-in-time The latest on US visas. This one stood out to me: 850 days for Canadian residents? Surely there is a way to speed that up.
Riffle. They're working on it. I trust FIFA. According to a movie called United Passions they're the best.
There are very few Canadian citizens that actually require tourist visas to the US. That is the wait time for foreign nationals living in Canada. Totally different subset.
I realise they are not Canadian nationals, just residents. But surely - when taking a risk based approach - the likelihood of those overstaying in the US is much lower? They already reside in an affluent G7 nation. Does the US think that poorly of Canadian vetting of residents?
The US doesn't trust anyone elses vetting. Also permanent residents are a multitude more likely to overstay in the US than Canadian citizens. One of the biggest factors is are they a potential to overstay. Add in, Canadian permanent residents only need 3 years in Canada before they can become Canadian citizens. It isn't a long time. And then once they are citizens they can travel to the US pretty freely.
There are lots of Canadians working in the US but noone really cares as they're usually white, educated and speak English. A friend of mine has been here 40 years, has had multiple jobs, and even after her Swiss husband became a naturalized US citizen she didn't bother.