Tag: City ‘Cleansing’
-

Toronto’s FIFA Dreams: Whose City, Whose World Cup?
By: Farida Rady and Jacob Roberts Originally published on Progressive City This case study examines Toronto’s FIFA Fan Festival and the broader preparations for the 2026 World Cup as a lens through which to understand the neoliberalization and enclosure of urban space. It considers how an idealized and carefully curated image of Toronto is projected globally; one that…
-

Vancouver’s Pivot Legal Society releases the first of their blog post series titled “FIFA on the Block: The Games, the Streets, and the Moment – Part 1”
-Pivot Legal Society Reposted with permission from Pivot. Access original here along with a sign up for the Legal Observer Program and further resources. The FIFA 2026 World Cup Games are less than five weeks from descending on Vancouver, sparking much foreboding – and for good reason. Mega sporting events are notorious for inviting a…
-

Toronto: Safety for Whom? Struggling Locals Harassed and Beaten by Security Staff at Union Station in Preparation for FIFA
By: Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union As Toronto prepares to host FIFA events under the banner of “safety” and “world-class city building,” many of the city’s most vulnerable residents are experiencing something very different. Over the last two months, the Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU), a grassroots collective led by people with lived experience of homelessness advocating…
-

A Fascist World Cup?
-Carolyn Prouse FIFA has rightly made headlines for the oligarchy’s cozy relationship with authoritarian and fascist regimes. The evolving fraternity between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and American President Donald Trump, from the Oval Office to the (macabre) FIFA Peace Prize presentation and Infantino’s presence at the Israel-Gaza ceasefire talks, is only the most recent example…
-

Mexico City: Living in a Marginalized Space During the 2026 FIFA World Cup
by Jair Coronado Rosales Mega-events such as the FIFA World Cup are unique phenomena in the history of certain countries, as well as certain cities. These scenarios open up opportunities for various transformations, particularly in relation to the urban environment and its infrastructure (Klinenberg, 2021; La Duke and Cowen, 2020). However, there are also transformations…
-

Community Statement on FIFA 2026 and Human Rights in Vancouver from the Ayx Community Bus
-by Ayx Community Bus With the World Cup fast approaching, former CRAB Park tent city residents in Vancouver are sounding the alarm about forced displacement and street-level policing. These concerns occur amidst the end of drug decriminalization in the city and the tainting of the drug supply with sedatives. Vancouver’s host committee has been warning international visitors about toxic drug supply…
-

Vancouver sex workers and co-conspirators organize against FIFA’s takeover of the Downtown Eastside
By: S.W.I.F.A. Mutual Aid Collective Support mutual aid efforts led by Sex Workers Interrupting FIFA Atrocities (SWIFA) The FIFA 2026 World Cup is coming to Vancouver this summer. Along with this mega-event will come a heightened police presence, particularly within the 2km “bubble zone” of BC Place, which includes the Downtown Eastside (DTES). Vancouver has…
-

WCW Contributor Monika Streule on Environment and Resource Struggles in Mexico
How is the 2026 World Cup reigniting conflicts over land, water, and urban development in Mexico’s host cities — Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara? In this article for Play the Game, Monika Streule traces how the tournament intersects with long-standing struggles over housing, environmental protection, and access to urban commons. Bringing these stories together, the piece…
-

Fora, FIFA! Intro to the 2026WCW Collective
Welcome to 2026 World Cup Watch! We are a collaborative effort to build knowledge, connection, and solidarity across communities living with and resisting the harmful impacts of FIFA World Cup 2026 (FWC26) in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. We’ve come together at a time of growing public outrage at FIFA and the World Cup.…