Is FIFA considering moving the World Cup out of U.S.? Why it's unlikely
It's all led to a reasonable question: How can FIFA allow this version of the U.S. to co-host the 2026 World Cup?
After all, in a press conference alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, U.S. vice president JD Vance even joked about detaining visitors who overstayed their welcome after the World Cup. It set the tone for a U.S. World Cup that will be openly hostile to foreign visitors and run antithetical to the global event's spirit.
But anyone who expects FIFA to hold the U.S. accountable or to even consider the relocation of 2026's World Cup is setting themselves up for disappointment. FIFA's recent history shows exactly why.
At face value, the deployment of U.S. troops to confront civilians should be a red line for FIFA. But there's already precedent in FIFA looking the other way on similar operations.
In the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Brazilian government established a Pacifying Police Unit to essentially target any suspected criminal in Rio de Janeiro's sprawling favelas (slums). The "pacification" was a chilling misnomer as the UPP frequently engaged in violence and was accused of extrajudicial executions. Disappearances surged in the years leading up to the World Cup.
Then, in March of 2014, Brazil sent in the actual military — 2,700 army soldiers — to occupy Rio's favelas through the end of July. Again, here was a country using its military as an occupying force against its own civilians, and FIFA didn't threaten Brazil's hosting status.
The 2018 World Cup saw FIFA allow Russia to host despite a government that's known to violently quell dissent. This was before Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine, but Russian president Vladimir Putin had already annexed Crimea amid global outrage. Russia's hosting privileges were also acquired through a massive bribery scandal, and Russia's open hostility to the LGBTQ+ community had visitors concerned about their safety.
FIFA's solution? It established an anonymous tipline to report homophobic harassment while still allowing Russia to ban Pride flags at matches.
And, of course, there was the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where stadium infrastructure was built through modern-day slave labor that resulted in an estimated 6,500 deaths. FIFA ignored the global outcry about the tournament (acquired through the same corrupt means as Russia) and Qatar's poor human rights record.
The only change FIFA really made was to move the tournament to the winter in order to avoid Qatar's devastating summer heat. Infantino watched the World Cup final in a suite alongside Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud — who approved the 2018 murder of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to CIA reporting.
On social media, there have been rumors and 'reports' that FIFA is so concerned with the U.S. political climate that the World Cup could be moved entirely to co-hosts Mexico and Canada. But thus far, there is no evidence at all to support that claim and no indication from FIFA that it's even being considered.
An AI-generated post on TikTok went viral that claimed Trump could jeopardize the World Cup for the U.S., but like many AI-generated videos, it was straight-up misinformation.
Actually, yes! On Wednesday, FIFA released a statement to celebrate the one-year mark out from the 2026 World Cup.
It said:
The 2026 edition is expected to welcome 6.5 million fans to stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the United States – truly uniting the continent and globe through football.
'One year from now, the greatest football show on the planet will definitely captivate the world like never before,' said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. 'This is more than a tournament, it's a global celebration of connection, unity and passion. From every corner of the world, dreams are turning into reality as teams qualify and fans make their plans to be part of history, counting down to the biggest FIFA World Cup yet.'
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that ICE and CBP would have a presence through the Club World Cup taking place this summer in the U.S., starting with Saturday's opener in Miami.
ICE claimed that it would just be there to provide 'security,' but DHS did urge fans to have proof of legal status, which was, uh, ominous. Infantino was asked if he had any concerns about potential immigration operations taking place at matches, and the FIFA president spoke favorably about it all.
He said:
"No, I don't have any concerns about anything in the sense that we are very attentive on any security question. Of course, the most important for us is to guarantee security for all the fans who come to the games. This is our priority. This is the priority of all the authorities who are here. And we want everyone who comes to the games to pass a good moment."
Yikes.
This late in the process, it's almost beyond the realm of possibility for FIFA to strip the U.S. of hosting rights.
It would take a massive opposition from competing federations with top teams boycotting the games and sponsors like Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch InBev pulling support. But it's highly doubtful two U.S.-based companies would work to have a World Cup moved out of the U.S.
FIFA was prepared to allow Russia to compete in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers even amid the Ukraine invasion, and it took teams being willing to forfeit in protest for UEFA and FIFA to make a decision to ban Russia.
But until the U.S. faces that kind of backlash on a global scale, don't count on FIFA to do anything about it. The organization has shown what it's about countless times already.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Is FIFA considering moving the World Cup out of the U.S.?
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