The false alarm that exposed the soul of the 2026 World Cup
A scare in Toronto revealed Canadian civility and served as a metaphor for the excesses of coverage of the 2026 World Cup.
A special envoy to the 2026 World Cup woke up to a false fire alarm in a Toronto hotel after an exhausting trip. The orderly evacuation revealed Canadian civility, but the experience served as a metaphor for the excesses of news coverage — and of life. Early morning in Toronto began with a deafening roar.
Sérgio Pereira, special envoy to the 2026 World Cup, was startled from sleep by a fire alarm that echoed through the hotel corridors. The initial confusion gave way to a surprising scene: instead of panic, there was order. Guests walked down the stairs calmly, forming organized lines, without pushing or shouting.
The incident, caused by a false alarm, exposed a reality often forgotten in the frenzy of sports coverage. The physical exhaustion of the trip, coupled with the pressures of deadlines and breaking news, weighed on the team, but the locals' reaction offered a quiet, powerful counterpoint. The absurd logistics of a World Cup spread across three nations turns each trip into an odyssey.
