Europe shows limited appetite for boycott as 2026 World Cup becomes a political football

January 26 – German football executive Oke Göttlich has urged Europe to consider a boycott of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His comments come following the US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric over Greenland and broader foreign policy moves that have escalated tension with Europe.

Göttlich, the president of Bundesliga club St. Pauli and a vice president of the German Football Association, told Germany media: “What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s? By my reckoning, the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.”

He also took aim at FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, who has become a close ally of Trump and the Maga movement. “Qatar was too political for everyone, and now we’re completely apolitical?” he asked. “That really, really bothers me.”

Calls have grown to weaponise football after the US president escalated tensions with Europe, in particular over Greenland, with a petition in the Netherlands to boycott the World Cup reaching 150,000 signatures.

In football circles, there is however no appetite for a boycott. Even the Norwegian FA, NFF, considered to be the most politically sensitive, has ruled out boycotting the tournament. Spearheaded by Premier League stars Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, the Norwegians are returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. The country’s PM Jonas Gahr Støre has said a boycott is not on the table.

In France, the sports ministry said there was “no desire” in Paris to boycott the tournament. In an interview on Sunday with RMC, French FA president Philippe Diallo aligned with his government’s position.

“I have a principled position which is to try to ensure that sport – a place of gathering and unity – remains as separate as possible from politics. I am attentive to the international situation, but at this stage, there is absolutely no question of boycotting the French team from the World Cup.

“My deepest wish is that the French team will leave for the United States on June 9th with great ambition for this World Cup.”

This summer the United States will co-host the first 48-team World Cup with Mexico and Canada. On June 11, Mexico kick off the tournament against South Africa in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup curtain raiser.

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