Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and senior European football officials are backing calls to boycott World Cup matches in the United States, raising concerns over US policy under President Donald Trump and FIFA’s leadership ahead of the 2026 tournament.
Blatter said Monday that fans should consider staying away from matches hosted in the US, citing comments made last week by Swiss legal expert Mark Pieth. Writing on X, Blatter endorsed Pieth’s warning and said the upcoming World Cup in the US deserves serious scrutiny.
“I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter wrote, quoting Pieth’s remarks.
Pieth, a Swiss attorney specializing in white-collar crime who once oversaw FIFA reform efforts, told the newspaper Der Bund that fans should avoid traveling to the US. “There’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA!” Pieth said, adding that visitors who displease authorities could be placed “straight on the next flight home," per the Associated Press.
The United States is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico from June 11 through July 19. Critics within the international football community have questioned whether the US remains a suitable host, pointing to Trump’s foreign policy positions and domestic immigration enforcement.
Concerns intensified after the Trump administration expanded travel restrictions that disrupted fan travel plans from several World Cup-qualified nations. In December, the administration announced an expanded ban that effectively blocks fans from Senegal and the Ivory Coast unless they already hold valid visas, citing “screening and vetting deficiencies.” Fans from Iran and Haiti are also barred under earlier restrictions.
Pressure is also building inside Europe. Oke Göttlich, president of Bundesliga club St. Pauli and a vice president of the German Football Association, said European nations should actively consider refusing participation. Speaking to Hamburger Morgenpost, Göttlich argued that football authorities can no longer pretend global tournaments exist outside politics.
“What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s?” Göttlich said. “By my reckoning, the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.”
Göttlich also criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino, accusing the organization of inconsistency on political issues. “Qatar was too political for everyone, and now we’re completely apolitical?” he said.
His comments followed FIFA’s decision to award Trump a newly created “peace prize” during the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, DC. Infantino praised Trump’s efforts to promote peace, while Trump claimed the pair had “saved millions and millions of lives.”
FIFA announced the prize last year as an annual honor for individuals said to bring “hope for future generations.” Trump was its first recipient.
Blatter said Monday that fans should consider staying away from matches hosted in the US, citing comments made last week by Swiss legal expert Mark Pieth. Writing on X, Blatter endorsed Pieth’s warning and said the upcoming World Cup in the US deserves serious scrutiny.
“I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter wrote, quoting Pieth’s remarks.
Pieth, a Swiss attorney specializing in white-collar crime who once oversaw FIFA reform efforts, told the newspaper Der Bund that fans should avoid traveling to the US. “There’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA!” Pieth said, adding that visitors who displease authorities could be placed “straight on the next flight home," per the Associated Press.
The United States is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico from June 11 through July 19. Critics within the international football community have questioned whether the US remains a suitable host, pointing to Trump’s foreign policy positions and domestic immigration enforcement.
Concerns intensified after the Trump administration expanded travel restrictions that disrupted fan travel plans from several World Cup-qualified nations. In December, the administration announced an expanded ban that effectively blocks fans from Senegal and the Ivory Coast unless they already hold valid visas, citing “screening and vetting deficiencies.” Fans from Iran and Haiti are also barred under earlier restrictions.
Pressure is also building inside Europe. Oke Göttlich, president of Bundesliga club St. Pauli and a vice president of the German Football Association, said European nations should actively consider refusing participation. Speaking to Hamburger Morgenpost, Göttlich argued that football authorities can no longer pretend global tournaments exist outside politics.
“What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s?” Göttlich said. “By my reckoning, the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.”
Göttlich also criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino, accusing the organization of inconsistency on political issues. “Qatar was too political for everyone, and now we’re completely apolitical?” he said.
His comments followed FIFA’s decision to award Trump a newly created “peace prize” during the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, DC. Infantino praised Trump’s efforts to promote peace, while Trump claimed the pair had “saved millions and millions of lives.”
FIFA announced the prize last year as an annual honor for individuals said to bring “hope for future generations.” Trump was its first recipient.
