Talk Surfaces of Boycotting World Cup Over Trump Policies

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Monday voiced support for calls urging fans to boycott this year’s World Cup matches in the United States, citing concerns over the policies of President Donald Trump and his administration at home and abroad. According to the Associated Press, Blatter is the latest prominent figure in international soccer to question whether the US is an appropriate host for the tournament.

Blatter endorsed comments made last week by Mark Pieth, an anti-corruption expert who previously chaired FIFA’s Independent Governance Committee. In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Der Bund, Pieth advised fans to avoid traveling to the US for the World Cup. “If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA,” Pieth said. “You’ll see it better on TV anyway.”

Blatter, who led FIFA from 1998 to 2015 before resigning amid a corruption investigation, echoed those concerns in a post on X, saying Pieth was right to question the upcoming World Cup.

Concerns within the international soccer community focus on President Trump’s expansionist rhetoric regarding Greenland, travel bans, and aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, including responses to protests. European media outlets, including Deutsche Welle, report that discussions of a possible boycott have been gaining traction.

Oke Göttlich, a vice president of the German soccer federation, told the Hamburger Morgenpost that the time had come to seriously consider a boycott. A Danish official said such a move could become necessary if tensions over Greenland were to escalate into conflict.

Travel restrictions have already affected fans from several countries. Two weeks ago, supporters from Senegal and Ivory Coast faced uncertainty after the Trump administration announced a ban that would prevent new visa holders from entering the US, citing “screening and vetting deficiencies.” Fans from Iran and Haiti—both World Cup qualifiers—are also barred under earlier versions of the travel ban.

Some political and soccer figures have also expressed concern over FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s close alignment with President Trump, including Infantino’s presentation of an inaugural honor to the president. Critics worry the tournament could be used for political messaging. “I don’t know on what grounds FIFA suddenly needs to award a peace prize, but it could be a warning of what awaits us when the tournament takes place in the US,” said Mogens Jensen of Denmark’s Social Democrats.

The United States is set to co-host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

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