With the World Cup just weeks away, Philadelphia is gearing up for soccer mania — but not everyone's cheering.

Why it matters: Some residents plan to sit it out, dreading the crowds, costs and disruptions that could come with welcoming more than half a million visitors for a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Driving the news: Most Philly-area residents are embracing the tourney, planning to attend games or celebrations, per new polling from ParkMobile shared exclusively with Axios. But about a fifth of those surveyed say they're skipping the tournament altogether or leaving town.

• One of the biggest turnoffs: Potential high costs for parking, dining out and transportation, including rideshare surge pricing.
• 68% of residents say they're worried pricing spikes will affect their neighborhoods.

🚗 Plus: Many are expecting World Cup traffic to add an extra 30 to 60 minutes to their commutes.

• Nearly half of commuters say they're planning to avoid the potential gridlock during the tourney by working remotely.

How it works: ParkMobile surveyed 1,000 people across the Philly region in late March, including people living in the city and surrounding suburbs, about their expectations for the tournament.

👀 The concerns come as:

• Some local restaurants consider temporarily adding 20% service charges to bills to account for World Cup fans arriving from countries with different tipping cultures.
• FIFA faces criticism for its stadium parking prices. At Lincoln Financial Field, parking could cost up to $620 for a single match.
• And some of those looking to make a buck off of leaving town are still waiting. Only about 42% of Philly's available short-term rentals for the World Cup group stage have been booked, per AirDNA data cited by the Wall Street Journal last week.

What they're saying: Even in a city used to major events at the South Philly sports complex, the World Cup could test residents' patience, Ryan Slack of ParkMobile tells Axios.

• His advice: Take a deep breath and enjoy the tournament in your own way — whether that's going out or watching at home.

Between the lines: While many ParkMobile survey respondents expressed cautious optimism about the city infrastructure's ability to handle crowds, some aren't so sure.

• About 22% of residents rated their confidence at a 5 out of 10 or lower.

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A New York City-based startup wants to install hundreds of EV chargers throughout Philly — and pay some property owners to power them.

The big picture: Philly and the state are pushing for more widespread adoption of zero-emission vehicles. But they need to significantly boost the infrastructure, like EV charging stations, first.

Driving the news: The startup, It's Electric, says it's worked out a deal with the city. It needs sign-off from city legislators, which the company says could come as soon as next month.

• The 10-year contract would allow the company to initially install 500 EV chargers over the first five years, with an option to add another 500.
• Depending on legislative approval and grant funding, the company expects to begin installation next year.

What they're saying: "You no longer have to own a home or rent from a garage to be part of a cleaner future," Shannon Dulaney, the company's director of public affairs, tells Axios.

• Leah Uko, a spokesperson for Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration, declined to comment on the legislation.

By the numbers: More than 664 EV station locations with 2,030 ports are located within a 20-mile radius around City Hall, which includes portions of South Jersey and Delaware.

• Across the state, there are nearly 2,000 EV stations.

Zoom in: It's Electric tells Axios the contract comes at no cost to the city.

• Instead, the city would take a 12% cut of the annual profits from the EV chargers, with a base rate of at least $70,000 a year.

Plus: To fuel the company's curbside network of EV chargers, It's Electric would seek agreements to tap into power from businesses, schools, libraries and homes.

• Property owners could earn around $3,000 a year, a company spokesperson tells Axios.

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🐊 Got a trashed-out alley? Philly's new "Alleygator" team is on it. The Office of Clean and Green Initiatives has launched an online portal where residents can request cleanups of city alleyways, of which there are an estimated 16,000. (WHYY)

🚨 The FBI is investigating a wave of "swatting" calls targeting schools across the Philly region this week, including in Montgomery and Bucks counties.

• Authorities say there's no credible threat, but the calls rattled communities, including Pennsbury High, where students were forced to shelter in classrooms. (6ABC)

🗣️ Quote du jour:

Smoke shop suppliers are finding end-arounds to forthcoming bans in Pennsylvania and New Jersey on synthetic drugs like kratom, including changing formulas.

"Legislation is what shuts me down. This is how we stay ahead."

The BookTok community — ravenous readers who share reviews of their latest reads — is reshaping the streaming wars.

Why it matters: Production studios are tuning in to influential creators and built-in fanbases, placing their bets on book adaptations to win viewers.

What they're saying: "To me, it's a way of finding treasure," Hannah Griffiths, head of adaptations at independent production house Banijay, tells Axios.

• "It's such a sophisticated readership...they've done a lot of the work for you by sifting and finding the good material."

By the numbers: Nearly half of the original drama series that premiered on Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video from January 2024 to June 2025 were book adaptations, according to a March report by the Publishers Association.

• Among the top 50 highest-grossing films from 2020 to 2024, adaptations earned 57% more at the box office than non-adaptations.

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Sunsets have officially crossed the 8pm threshold, as of this week.

Why it matters: It's prime season for dining al fresco, rooftop bars, walks along Kelly Drive, and catching a ballgame at the Bank.

What's next: We'll see the sun set past 8pm through Aug. 13, per NOAA.