A new conflict between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has arised after the international soccer governing body appeared to back Trump’s comments on potentially moving games away from some of the U.S. host cities for the 2026 World Cup.
In a Sunday report, FIFA issued a statement seeming to validate Trump’s claim that governments, rather than FIFA, are ultimately in charge of World Cup game security and safety. The action followed Trump’s threat to pull the games from cities he had determined to be “unsafe.”
Trump threatens to pull games from Boston
Trump targeted the capital city of Massachusetts in a recent event and claimed that he will request FIFA President Gianni Infantino to move the games if local conditions do not measure up to his expectations. The U.S. president turned his attention to Boston and city mayor Michelle Wu on Tuesday during a meeting with Argentinian President Javier Milei.
“If somebody’s doing a bad job, and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni [Infantino], the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another location,’ and he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it, very easily he’d do it. And this is the right time to do it“.
If somebody’s doing a bad job, and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni [Infantino], the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another location,’ and he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it, very easily he’d do it. And this is the right time to do it
The remark immediately made national headlines – and outrage – because all host city bids for the 2026 tournament already had been decided and cemented in a contractual obligation.
FIFA statement causes internal tension
What was really surprising for fans was not exactly Trump’s remark, but FIFA’s.
After Trump’s remarks went viral, FIFA issued a statement reaffirming that safety and security measures are the responsibility of governments, not the organization’s executive.
That position appeared to contradict comments made previously by FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani, who said only FIFA is capable of shifting or transferring host cities once they are declared officially.
The seeming flip-flop has been confusing to those in the organization and has attracted attention implying that FIFA took the side of Trump against one of its senior executives.
Boston pushes back on those claims
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was quick to react, dismissing Trump’s comments as political theater.
Wu explained to journalists that the city’s memorandum to host FIFA was a binding agreement under law and that efforts to have Boston deleted from the World Cup calendar would face an immediate lawsuit.
“Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House currently, can undo it. We’re in a world where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries … ongoing threats … are issued to individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or be obedient to a hateful agenda”.
Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House currently, can undo it. We’re in a world where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries … ongoing threats … are issued to individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or be obedient to a hateful agenda
Boston is among 11 US cities chosen to host the 2026 tournament, which will be held jointly throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Can Trump really relocate World Cup games?
In fact, Trump – or any U.S. president – technically cannot do anything to alter FIFA’s list of host cities. These locations were picked after a multiyear bid process and are subject to complex agreements between FIFA and each local hosting committee.
However, sports law specialists add that an effort to relocate matches for political reasons would more likely end up in court, hurt sponsor agreements, and lead to logistical madness, as preparations for the 2026 tournament are already at full throttle.
What this could mean for FIFA and the U.S.
For FIFA, the crisis helps highlight the difficulty of balancing its political diplomacy with its image of impartiality. By seeming to have supported Trump’s version, the organization threatens to alienate officials on its own leadership and possibly anger host cities which have invested substantial amounts of money to host the competition.
As events unfolded, both American organizers and FIFA directors attempted to keep up the poker face, but Trump’s recent comments guaranteed that the path to the 2026 World Cup would be far from non-controversial.
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