Trump suggests moving 2026 World Cup games out of U.S. cities he deems unsafe
President Donald Trump suggested that he would move 2026 FIFA World Cup matches out of U.S. host cities that he deems “even a little bit dangerous.”
Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said next year’s World Cup would be “very secure,” but then indicated he would move matches out of certain cities if he considers them unsafe.
“If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup? We won’t allow it … we’ll move it around a bit” he said. “But I hope that’s not going to happen.”
The U.S. is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with its North American neighbors, Canada and Mexico.
There are 11 U.S. host cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Bay Area and Seattle. Mexico has three hosts in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey, while Canada has two hosts in Toronto and Vancouver.
A reporter specifically asked about San Francisco and Seattle and what Trump would do if those cities “did not cooperate” with his administration.
“Well, that’s an interesting question, but we’re going to make sure they’re safe,” he said. “They’re run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing.”
Trump does not have explicit authority to move World Cup games out of host cities, but he does have a notable FIFA connection in organization president Gianni Infantino. The two were on the field together over the summer for the championship presentation at the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which is also the site of the 2026 World Cup Final.
The World Cup draw will be held on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C, which will map out which teams play in which cities.
Looking even further ahead, Trump said he will hold a similar stance on “dangerous” cities for the Olympics, which will return to the U.S. when Los Angeles hosts in 2028.
“If I think it’s not safe, we’re going to move it out of that city,” Trump said. “So if any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, or for the Olympics, you know where they have Olympic overthrow right, but for the World Cup in particular, because they’re playing in so many cities, we won’t allow it.”
The Trump administration sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles in early June after days of protests over immigration raids. In September, a federal judge rules that the administration “willfully” broke the law in deploying National Guard troops in the city.
Trump also deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., in August after he signed an executive order over the U.S. capital’s “crime emergency.”
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
President Donald Trump suggested that he would move 2026 FIFA World Cup matches out of U.S. host cities that he deems “even a little bit dangerous.”
Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said next year’s World Cup would be “very secure,” but then indicated he would move matches out of certain cities if he considers them unsafe.
“If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup? We won’t allow it … we’ll move it around a bit” he said. “But I hope that’s not going to happen.”
The U.S. is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with its North American neighbors, Canada and Mexico.
There are 11 U.S. host cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Bay Area and Seattle. Mexico has three hosts in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey, while Canada has two hosts in Toronto and Vancouver.
A reporter specifically asked about San Francisco and Seattle and what Trump would do if those cities “did not cooperate” with his administration.
“Well, that’s an interesting question, but we’re going to make sure they’re safe,” he said. “They’re run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing.”
Trump does not have explicit authority to move World Cup games out of host cities, but he does have a notable FIFA connection in organization president Gianni Infantino. The two were on the field together over the summer for the championship presentation at the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which is also the site of the 2026 World Cup Final.
The World Cup draw will be held on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C, which will map out which teams play in which cities.
Looking even further ahead, Trump said he will hold a similar stance on “dangerous” cities for the Olympics, which will return to the U.S. when Los Angeles hosts in 2028.
“If I think it’s not safe, we’re going to move it out of that city,” Trump said. “So if any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, or for the Olympics, you know where they have Olympic overthrow right, but for the World Cup in particular, because they’re playing in so many cities, we won’t allow it.”
The Trump administration sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles in early June after days of protests over immigration raids. In September, a federal judge rules that the administration “willfully” broke the law in deploying National Guard troops in the city.
Trump also deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., in August after he signed an executive order over the U.S. capital’s “crime emergency.”
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.