US gun violence could damage 2026 World Cup: Spectrum News 1

NEW YORK - As the United States is planning the biggest FIFA World Cup in history, scheduled for the summer of 2026, some nations are issuing warnings about traveling to the United States for the matches over its rampant gun violence, reported Spectrum News 1 on Thursday.

Germany is telling its citizens, if they come to the United States, there are occasional killing sprees. The UK has warned about domestic terrorists in the United States. So has New Zealand. Canada is telling its citizens to role play what you would do if you were stuck in a mass shooting, the report quoted Los Angeles Times sportswriter Kevin Baxter as saying.

One study showed that 7 percent of visitors who had planned to the United States were either afraid or canceled their trips because of the gun problem. That could be a 250 million U.S. dollars in economic impact that could be lost if people don't come, Baxter noted.

"What other countries are telling people is that it's just not safe to come to the United States. And we're hearing anecdotal evidence now, the studies are still being done and we're hearing anecdotal evidence of people planning and saving to come from Peru or England to go to Disneyland or Disney World and just canceling the trip because they're not safe," Baxter was quoted as saying.