FIFA cancels 2,000 Philly hotel reservations ahead of this summer’s World Cup

HILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — FIFA has canceled thousands of Philadelphia hotel reservations just months before this summer’s World Cup matches are expected to kick off.

The Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association confirmed to our newsgathering partners at NBC10 on Friday that the soccer organisation canceled 2,000 of the 10,000 reservations it had made for the event.

Philly is one of the six host cities for this year’s World Cup, with six matches scheduled at Lincoln Financial Field from June 14 through July 4, coinciding with the nation’s 250th birthday.

The association told NBC10 that FIFA had a 120-day window to implement the cancellations. They did not offer details on why they made the cancellations, and, according to the association, they do not have to.

Hospitality officials said the 2,000 canceled rooms can be opened to fans coming to Philly for the games.

– Sunday, June 14: Ivory Coast will play Ecuador at 7 p.m.

– Friday, June 19: Brazil will play Haiti at 9 p.m.

– Monday, June 22: France will take on the winner of the Inter-Confederation Play-off Path 2 at 5 p.m.

– Thursday, June 25: Curaçao will play Ivory Coast at 4 p.m.

– Saturday, June 27: Croatia will play Ghana at 5 p.m.

– A Round of 16 match is scheduled for July 4. Teams won’t be announced until that round.

Last summer, the FIFA Club World Cup matches drew 346,000 fans from all 50 states and 120 countries. A huge crowd is expected this year, as well. During the tournament, attendees can check out the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park.