Ex-FIFA boss urges fans to boycott FIFA World Cup 2026: Here’s Why

As Trump’s administration prepares for the U.S. to co-host the FIFA World Cup 2026 this summer, some members of the global community are asking for a U.S. FIFA boycott.

Some members of the global soccer community are saying, “There’s only one piece of advice for fans: “Stay away from the U.S.A.!”

That particular phrasing came from Mark Pieth in an interview with Swiss newspaper Der Bund last week—a Swiss attorney who chaired the Independent Governance Committee’s oversight of FIFA reform between 2011 and 2013.

But calls for a boycott of the world’s biggest international soccer competition have gained traction among other prominent soccer figures, lawmakers, and fans.

Former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has also backed the comments of Mark Pieth, a Swiss lawyer specializing in white-collar crime and an anticorruption expert, who called on football fans to stay away from the US.

The statements came after the announcement that the US is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Blatter is the latest international football figure to call into question the suitability of the US as a host country, calling for a boycott in a post on X on Monday.

“You’ll see it better on TV anyway,” Pieth said, adding, “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.”

In his X post, Blatter, quoting Pieth, added, “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”

The 89-year-old was president of the football governing body from 1998 to 2015, when he resigned following a corruption investigation.

The international football community’s concerns about the US stem from Trump’s expansionist posture on Greenland, travel bans and aggressive tactics in dealing with migrants and immigration enforcement protesters in US cities, particularly Minneapolis.

Two weeks ago, travel plans for fans from two of the top football countries in Africa were thrown into disarray when the Trump administration announced a ban that would effectively bar people from Senegal and the Ivory Coast from following their teams unless they already have visas.

Trump cited “screening and vetting deficiencies” as the main reason for the suspensions.

A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Göttlich, St. Pauli president and a German soccer federation vice president, has called for discussion on a boycott of the World Cup

“The life of a professional player is not worth more than the lives of countless people in various regions who are being directly or indirectly attacked or threatened by the World Cup host,” said Gottlich.

“A lot of countries refused to trade with South Africa because it was violating human rights and international law, so we must boycott the World Cup in America and anything that has got to do with America,” said the German soccer federation vice president, adding, “We cannot sit back and allow a person to destabilize the world, and it becomes business as usual. That is an act of cowardice.”

Meanwhile, more than 100,000 fans in the Netherlands have also signed an online petition urging the national team to boycott the tournament.