United States President Donald Trump has injected a major element of political uncertainty into the final planning stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, stating he would consider relocating matches from any US host cities he deems to be unsafe.
The statement, made to reporters in the Oval Office, immediately poses a logistical and organizational dilemma for FIFA, the tournament’s world governing body, which recently opened an office in Trump Tower, New York.
"It will be safe for the World Cup," President Trump told reporters. "If I think it isn't safe, we'll move it into a different city."
The US is scheduled to host 78 of the 104 fixtures across 11 cities next summer. When asked specifically about matches in Democratic-run strongholds like Seattle and San Francisco—both scheduled to host six games—and Los Angeles, the host of eight games and the 2028 Olympics, Trump was forthright.
"If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup... we won't allow it to go. We'll move it around a little bit," he warned.
FIFA's Dilemma
The President’s comments place FIFA in a difficult position. The organization is in charge of selecting host cities and managing the tournament’s massive logistical framework. Any move to reshuffle venues just months before the World Cup begins on June 11th would cause immense logistical challenges, disrupting meticulously planned travel and infrastructure arrangements for teams, officials, and hundreds of thousands of fans.
While President Trump maintains a close working relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and is the chair of the World Cup taskforce, it remains unclear whether the US President has the ultimate authority to unilaterally change the venues stipulated in the host city agreements.
The looming threat of political intervention casts a shadow over the preparations. The draw for the World Cup group stage is scheduled for 5 December in Washington DC, which will confirm exactly which fixtures are slated for the potentially contentious cities.
This is not the first time the President has used the World Cup for political commentary, having previously suggested Russian participation could be an "incentive" to end the war in Ukraine, despite FIFA's ban on the Russian national team.
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