“Stay Away From The USA!” Ex-FIFA Boss, Blatter, Calls For Fans’ Boycott Of 2026 World Cup

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter says soccer fans should avoid traveling to the United States for the 2026 World Cup this summer.

Blatter’s reasoning? His belief that President Donald Trump’s international aggression and immigration crackdown across the country makes it dangerous for fans traveling overseas.

Blatter cited Mark Pieth, an anti-corruption expert and law professor who oversaw the Independent Governance Committee during FIFA’s reform from 2013-16. Pieth spoke with Swiss outlet Der Bund, where he told soccer fans to, “Stay away from the USA!”

“‘For the fans, there’s only one piece of advice: stay away from the USA!’ I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter, 89, tweeted on Monday.

Pieth added in his interview: “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.”

The United States is set to co-host this year’s World Cup, as Mexico and Canada will be the site for games in the tournament that spans from June 11–July 19. However, after the Round of 16, all remaining matches will be held in the U.S.

Trump’s stance toward Greenland has led to a call to boycott the World Cup this summer by German soccer federation executive Oke Göttlich.

“I really wonder when the time will be to think and talk about this concretely,” Göttlich told Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper about a potential boycott. “For me, that time has definitely come.”

Trump said recently that a “framework of a future deal” with NATO involving Greenland and the Arctic region has been discussed, which could ease tension in that regard.