Ex-FIFA President Blatter Backs Calls To Boycott 2026 World Cup In US

Former President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Sepp Blatter, has joined growing calls for a boycott of the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled to be jointly hosted by the United States, citing concerns over the conduct of President Donald Trump and his administration.

Blatter, who led world football’s governing body from 1998 to 2015 before resigning amid corruption investigations, expressed support for a proposed fan boycott in a post on X on Monday. His comments aligned with remarks made by Swiss lawyer and anti-corruption expert, Mark Pieth, in a recent interview with Swiss newspaper Der Bund.

Pieth, who chaired FIFA’s Independent Governance Committee during its reform process a decade ago, questioned the suitability of the United States as a World Cup host.

In the interview, he said: “If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”

Quoting Pieth in his post, Blatter added: “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”

The United States is set to co-host the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Concerns raised within the international football community centred on the Trump administration’s domestic and foreign policies, including its expansionist rhetoric on Greenland, as well as stringent immigration measures, travel bans, and aggressive responses to migrant-related protests in several American cities, notably Minneapolis.

Adding to the calls for a boycott, Oke Göttlich, one of the vice presidents of the German Football Association, told Hamburger Morgenpost in an interview last Friday that the time had come to seriously consider boycotting the tournament.

Travel arrangements for fans from parts of Africa have also been affected. In December, the Trump administration announced an expanded travel ban that would effectively prevent citizens of Senegal and Ivory Coast from entering the United States for the World Cup unless they already hold valid visas. The administration cited “screening and vetting deficiencies” as justification for the move.

Fans from Iran and Haiti, both of which have qualified for the tournament will also be barred from entering the United States, having been included in the initial version of the travel ban announced earlier by the Trump administration.

The developments have intensified debate over whether the United States remains a suitable host for a tournament billed as a global celebration of football.