It is now exactly “one month until the first game” of this summer’s FIFA World Cup. From “diplomatic tensions to ticket pricing and travel costs,” the tournament has been “creating headlines before a ball has even been kicked.” Perhaps the biggest controversy so far is the “cost associated with attending it” as ticket prices have “soared to new heights.” Another major storyline in the tournament’s buildup has been “the situation in Iran, and how it might impact the nation’s participation” (CNN.com, 5/11).
In N.Y., there is “barely a pulse” about the World Cup. Aside from the countdown clock inside The Shops of Columbus Circle, there are few “meaningful signs that the World Cup is a month away.” There is “no visible takeover of the city” and “no real atmosphere.” For a city that will host the World Cup final, it feels “strangely quiet” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/11).
