Councilors in Hoover heard a briefing on Nov. 20 about a possible role as a FIFA World Cup host‑city for visiting teams, and expressed caution about potential liabilities and limited direct benefits.

Scott (Speaker 14), who prepared the memo forwarded to council, told members that FIFA controls branding and event standards and that a host city would assume responsibility for transport, public safety and other costs tied to accommodating teams. "Make no mistake, FIFA is in charge... You will assume all costs for transport safety," Scott said, warning there is "no reimbursement from FIFA" for those costs and that the benefits described in the package are indirect and not quantifiable in the documents reviewed. (Speaker 14)

Council members asked clarifying questions about whether Hoover would host actual tournament games (Speaker 1 clarified the request was for accommodations and practice teams) and whether practice fields would be in Hoover. Staff said practice locations identified in the initial package were in Shelby County and that Shelby County elected not to pursue hosting; that made Hoover's direct gain more limited. The documents Scott reviewed included extensive FIFA standards and contracts spanning hundreds of pages, and councilors said the time available to review the materials was short.

Mayor (Speaker 1) said the item would not be placed on the Monday agenda unless two council members contacted him to request inclusion; otherwise the offer would expire under the timeline in the package. The work session did not produce a formal council position.

What's next: Council left the item off the immediate agenda unless two members request it; staff recommended continued review of documents and caution before any commitment.