Politics

FIFA Send Warning to Donald Trump After US President’s 2026 World Cup Threat

FIFA Send Warning to Donald Trump After US President’s 2026 World Cup Threat

FIFA have hit back at US President Donald Trump and made clear that they are in charge of any decisions regarding the World Cup, which takes place in the United States, Mexico and Canada next year.
Trump claimed that some host cities are “not safe” and hinted at a willingness to alter fixtures scheduled for the tournament next summer if he deemed them too dangerous. He suggested that cities not cooperating with his immigration and crime initiatives may be relieved of hosting duties.
There are 11 US cities currently confirmed to host matches, including San Francisco and Seattle, both of which are Democratic cities. FIFA has now responded to his comments with a defiant stance over the possibility of relocating.
“FIFA Makes Those Decisions” – FIFA Respond To Trump
FIFA Vice-President Victor Montagliani has responded to Trump’s comments, insisting that it would be FIFA’s responsibility to make such decisions over relocation. The president of CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America as well as the Caribbean, said this week: “It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions.”
He added: “With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans. That’s the beauty of our game, that it is bigger than any individual and bigger than any country.”
World Cup host cities have changed in the past, including back in 2022 when the tournament was held in Qatar. Several proposed cities and stadiums were dropped, resulting in matches being held in fewer cities than originally planned.
There have been security concerns regarding the US hosting the World Cup that extend beyond politics and the complexities that come with the tournament increasing from 32 to 48 teams.
There has been talk of FIFA further expanding the competition to 64 teams but Montagliani (pictured left above) appeared to rule this out: “It’s not just us but (UEFA) and Asia who are opposed to that. But the Club World Cup (held in the US) was a massive success. We need to work out what’s feasible, what changes we need to make about the number of teams and the caps on each country we had for this year.”
GIVEMESPORT Key Fact: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle are US host cities for the 2026 World Cup
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, and ends on Sunday, July 19, 2026, after 104 fixtures are played in North America. Millions of fans from across the globe will be attending matches, although FIFA’s expensive ticketing system has been criticised.
‘Impossible’ Heat Another World Cup Concern
Trump has already had his first taste of a major football competition taking place in the US following this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. Chelsea prevailed, and the president presented the trophy to Enzo Maresca’s Blues, while also managing to get included in the team’s trophy-lift photo.
Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Australian side ES Tunis was one of three matches that FIFPRO ruled should have been suspended or postponed during the tournament because the conditions exceeded their threshold of 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature gauge (WBGT), according to ESPN.