U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested he could move matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup away from host cities he considers unsafe. The tournament, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is set to feature 48 teams playing 104 matches — with 78 fixtures, including the final, scheduled in 11 American cities.
The U.S. host cities include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. Trump singled out San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles — all Democratic-led cities — as potential risks.
“If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, we won’t allow it to go. We’ll move it around a little bit,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The remarks raise questions over Trump’s authority to alter FIFA’s plans. The governing body retains full control over World Cup logistics, though Trump’s role as chair of the U.S. World Cup task force and his rapport with FIFA President Gianni Infantino could give him influence. Any changes would, however, face major operational hurdles.
Trump has placed crime reduction at the center of his administration’s agenda, recently deploying National Guard units to cities including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago. His comments come as preparations intensify ahead of the group-stage draw on December 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The tournament will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
This is not Trump’s first intervention on World Cup matters. In recent months, he has suggested Russia’s participation could be used as leverage to end the war in Ukraine — despite FIFA and UEFA maintaining a ban on the Russian national team since 2022. He has also framed U.S. trade tensions with co-hosts Canada and Mexico as potentially “good for the tournament.”
As FIFA finalizes operational details, Trump’s comments inject new uncertainty into what is already the largest and most complex World Cup ever staged.
