Sports
German FA Speaks Out on Calls to Boycott 2026 World Cup Because of Trump
The football association of a major nation that has qualified for the 2026 World Cup has now spoken out on the increasing number of calls to boycott the tournament because of Donald Trump’s actions.
Forty-eight nations are supposed to travel to North America for matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada at the summer tournament, but the build-up to the competition has been shrouded in controversy.
Supporters of four qualified nations have been included on full or partial travel ban lists by US president Trump, while other countries have been urged not to take part due to a multitude of issues. Those include safety fears and Trump consistently expressing his intention to claim Greenland, despite opposition from European countries.
2026 World Cup: 8 Nations Told to Consider Boycotting Amid Donald Trump’s Actions
Donald Trump has already caused chaos and uncertainty around the World Cup – and now eight major nations have been told to boycott.
The FA of the Netherlands was forced to issue a response after a petition calling for the Oranje to boycott the tournament gained thousands of signatures. And the German Football Association (DFB) have now spoken out, after an official urged the four-time World Cup winners to not travel to the States.
German FA Makes Position on World Cup Boycott Clear
Speaking at a German Football League (DFL) meeting on Monday, DFB President Bernd Neuendorf was asked about potentially boycotting the upcoming World Cup amidst all the concerns surrounding the tournament. However, he insisted that it was an inappropriate conversation to have, stating that the association were united in their view.
Per Deutsche Welle, he said: “I don’t think this is a big debate at all, because I believe we at the DFB are very unanimous in our view that this debate is completely misguided at this point in time.”
Christiane Schenderlein, the minister for sports for the German government, had previously stated that the DFB and FIFA would make the decision on the tournament. But questions about a potential boycott re-emerged last week after the president for St. Pauli, Oke Gottlich, said that Die Mannschaft must contemplate withdrawing from the competition.
According to The Athletic, Neuendorf went on to respond to Gottlich’s comments, saying: “It’s a statement from a single representative from the (DFB) executive committee. This colleague hasn’t been with us that long, but as a rule, we discuss these issues within our committees first and then form an opinion.”
It appears that there is little consensus over a potential boycott. Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen responded to Gottlich’s statement, pointing out that every country attended Russia 2018, despite the hosts annexing Crimea from Ukraine four years earlier. He said: “We have never seen a World Cup boycotted.
“Sports should focus on football, geopolitics is done elsewhere.”
Sepp Blatter Among Those to Urge for World Cup Boycott
Among those to have also called for nations to boycott the World Cup is former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who chose to respond to comments made by Mark Pieth, a Swiss anti-corruption lawyer who had chaired the Independent Governance Committee of FIFA reform from 2011 until 2013.
Pieth had cited the government’s behaviour and the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as reasons to skip the tournament in an interview with Tages-Anzeiger. And responding to the comments, Blatter wrote on social media: “‘For the fans, there’s only one piece of advice: stay away from the USA!’ I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
Earlier this month, former Conservative minister Simon Hoare urged UK nations not to travel for the competition. Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor also urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to back England and Scotland’s withdrawal from the tournament, hoping that it would, “show Donald Trump that the only thing he responds to is his own pride.”
