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New Jersey Notebook: No World Cup advertisement at New York airport
An electronic advertisement in New York City.
What you need to know:
- The World Cup is already four days old, but the expected avalanche of noisy fans in all but nonexistent.
- Every host city has a place where incoming international journalists can pick up the precious document.
In New Jersey
When yours truly embarked on the 2022 Qatar World Cup tour of duty, the feeling for the tournament started right at the point of departure.
At the JKIA, banners advertising the Qatar World Cup were well placed at the Qatar Airlines check-in counter, and one felt welcomed to Doha even before stepping there.
Landing at Hamad International Airport in Doha, the colours of the tournament and sponsors dominated the scenery.
At the JKIA in 2026 there is no World Cup visibility. Landing at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, you would be forgiven for thinking no World Cup was taking place in the country. Not a single advertisement of the greatest football tournament. Nada.
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World Cup is four days old, but where are the visiting fans
Still on the World Cup and USA, New York New Jersey, as Fifa has indicated this host city will host eight matches, including the final on July 19.
But the human traffic inside the John F. Kennedy International Airport reflects business as usual.
The World Cup is already four days old, but the expected avalanche of boisterous, noisy fans in all but nonexistent.
Ivory Coast fans react as they watch the match between their country and Ecuador in Group E of the Fifa World Cup 2026 at Philadelphia Stadium on June 14, 2026.
On Saturday afternoon, not even a handful of fans in their favourite teams’ colours, just a single, assuming what they wore reflected their allegiance, Senegalese, Moroccan and Algerian fan, and a couple of Bosnia and Herzegovina supporters who must have missed their team’s heroic draw with hosts Canada on Friday.
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Thank goodness, 16 accreditation centres for journalists
The 2022 Qatar World Cup had one main press centre where the accreditation centre was located. It was so convenient for the thousands of travelling scribes coming to cover the tournament in a country half the size of Kajiado County.
It was thus understandable that the journalists were worried how they would collect their 2026 World Cup accreditation hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico, practically an entire continent spanning 21.71 square kilometres.
Thankfully, Fifa has established 16 accreditation centres, meaning every host city has a place where incoming international journalists can pick up the precious document.
It will certainly save journalists time and money flying to a central accreditation centre. A relieved yours truly can now set up base in New York/New Jersey for the 104-match football extravaganza.
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