Trump Considers Moving World Cup Matches from Unsafe Cities
US President Donald Trump has announced that he will relocate matches at the 2026 World Cup from any cities he deems unsafe.
The tournament, which will feature 48 teams, is set to take place next summer and will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The US is scheduled to host 78 of the 104 matches, including the final.
FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, is responsible for organizing the tournament and selecting the host cities. Any changes to the match locations, whether now or later, would present significant logistical challenges.
It remains uncertain whether Trump has the authority to make such changes, although he has a close working relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and chairs the World Cup task force.
"It will be safe for the World Cup," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "If I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it to a different city."
The eleven host cities in the US include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Trump specifically mentioned Seattle and San Francisco—both Democratic-led cities—that are scheduled to host six matches each. He also referenced Los Angeles, another Democratic stronghold, which is set to host eight matches next year and will be the venue for the 2028 Olympics.
Trump stated, "If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, or for the Olympics, but particularly for the World Cup, since there are matches in so many cities, we won’t allow it to go. We’ll move it around a little bit."
Addressing crime has been a central theme of Trump’s agenda. Last month, he deployed National Guard troops and federal officers to Washington, D.C., despite crime rates showing a decline since a spike in 2023. He has also indicated plans to send troops to Memphis and Chicago.
In June, he ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to address unrest related to raids on undocumented migrants.
The draw for the group stage of the World Cup is scheduled for December 5 in Washington, D.C., with the tournament taking place from June 11 to July 19.
This is not the first time Trump has commented on the World Cup. In May, he suggested that allowing Russia to participate could serve as an "incentive" to end the war in Ukraine, despite FIFA and UEFA banning the Russian national team from international competition since the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with qualification for the World Cup already underway.
In March, Trump claimed that the political and economic tensions between the US and its co-hosts, Canada and Mexico, would benefit the tournament, following his imposition of tariffs on goods imported from these neighboring countries.
BBC Sport has reached out to FIFA for comment.