Rowan DuBois | staff writer

Debates have been swirling around the 2026 World Cup, set to be held across North America in July. The most recent controversy developed as multiple top soccer officials hinted at a boycott of the tournament in response to United States President Donald Trump’s position on Greenland, which has been viewed as potentially threatening to NATO’s position as well as the January shootings of Nicole Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

On Jan. 26, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter seemingly endorsed a World Cup boycott threat, replying to a comment by Swiss attorney Mark Pieth who claimed fans would have trouble getting into the United States. Blatter quoted him on X, adding his own opinion.

“I think Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter said.

Pieth’s comments in his Der Bund interview told fans to “Stay away from the USA!” His argument largely stemmed from Trump’s continued crackdown on border safety and regulation, a growing concern as dozens of countries will flock to the U.S. to cheer on their national team.

“Upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home,” Pieth said. “If they’re lucky.”

Blatter and Pieth weren’t alone in their comments, as on Jan. 23, Oke Göttlich, a vice president of the German Football Association and owner of the German soccer club St. Pauli, told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper that many should consider the prospect of a boycott.

The German Football Association, or the DFB has since ruled out a boycott and publicly criticized Göttlich’s comments.

“Debates on sports policy should be conducted internally and not in public,” the DFB said.

Blatter served as FIFA’s eighth president, from 1998-2015, before resigning amidst a U.S.-led corruption investigation which saw 14 of Blatter’s coworkers indicted. It was under Blatter’s guise that the controversial World Cup locations of Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 were made.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine four years prior to the 2018 tournament, and questions were raised as to whether or not human rights abuses were present during construction for World Cup Qatar 2022.

According to the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, 37 workers in Qatar died from non-work-related causes and three from workplace incidents. Multiple human rights organizations have questioned whether that number accounts for migrant workers on World-Cup related construction.
 

“Qatar was too political for everyone and now we’re completely apolitical?” Göttlich said. “That’s something that really, really, really bothers me.”

Thus, the 2026 World Cup marks the third consecutive iteration of the tournament which has sparked controversy due to its location.
 

Trump’s August travel ban prevented citizens of Haiti and Iran, whose country’s teams qualified, from attending matches in the U.S.. When Trump expanded the ban in December, the Ivory Coast and Senegal joined that list. Senegal is the highest rated African team according to FIFA’s world rankings.

Amir Deghani, a Duquesne student and Iran native, says he understands the travel ban, but thinks that rules should be bent for World Cup fans.

“I definitely think some exceptions should be made,” Dehghani said. “I don’t think sports and politics should collide with each other.”

As the World Cup approaches, fans are less likely to be in favor of a political boycott.

“The World Cup is a tournament that brings the whole world together,” Dehghani said. “Every person from their country deserves a chance to support their teams and see them play in the World Cup.”

The 2026 iteration also sees the tournament expanded from 32 to 48 teams, the biggest expansion to the format since 1998.

There are four countries making their World Cup debuts in 2026, and 11 playing in their second-only World Cup. Public outrage would be immense from fan bases who rarely get to see their nation compete on a high level.

The United States will wish to avoid a World Cup boycott, as nations fight tooth-and-nail for a chance to host the competition due to its economic benefits.

Comments like Blatter’s only hurt an already mistrusted FIFA’s credibility. An investigation of the Qatar World Cup alleged that FIFA was bribed while choosing Qatar to host the tournament, and the 2015 corruption scandal’s shadow still hangs over the association.

The World Cup is widely accepted by players, coaches and fans as the most important tournament in the world.

Many players, such as Lionel Messi, have publicly stated how important international soccer is compared to club soccer.

“I would swap a title with Barcelona for one with the national team,” Messi said before the 2018 World Cup. “While I want to win things again with my club, I want to win something with the national team.”

Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo echoed the same sentiment after winning the UEFA European Championship.

“Winning for Portugal is always special,” Ronaldo said. “I have many titles with clubs, but nothing is better than winning for Portugal.”

With the World Cup only coming around every four years, it creates a special opportunity to bring the world together through its most popular sport. But, a boycott would ultimately come down to the players and their willingness to miss playing in such a storied tournament.

Rowan DuBois can be reached at duboisr1@duq.edu