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Will Trump Move World Cup Games?

The Trump World Cup drama is still alive and kicking. More precisely, the POTUS has doubled down on his earlier statements of moving the World Cup matches from cities he deems unsafe. 

This time around, Trump was primarily targeting Boston, whose Gillette Stadium is set to host seven matches, including round-of-32 and quarterfinal clashes.

Even though moving these games to another city seems impossible – both logistically and logically – the speculation is rampant. 

Let’s take a closer look at the whole Trump World Cup drama and assess the chances of escalation in the coming months.

What Trump Said (and What It Means)

The whole Trump-FIFA World Cup narrative took off in mid-September when Trump first said he might move World Cup games from cities that he says aren’t safe enough for such a huge spectacle.

“I guess, but we’re going to make sure they’re safe… They’re run by radical left lunatics that don’t know what they’re doing.”

Then, a month later, he doubled down on his initial statement, claiming he’d call Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, and arrange a switch to a different location.

“If someone is doing a bad job, and I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of Fifa, who is phenomenal, and say let’s move it to another location…. And he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it. Very easily, he’d do it.”

He also commented on the recent attacks on the Police in Boston, stating: “Their mayor is not good…” adding: “She’s radical left, and they’re taking over parts of Boston. That’s a pretty big statement, right?”

What It Actually Means

Why would the POTUS say something like that? Well, Trump didn’t initiate any of his statements. On both occasions, journalists pressed him with questions, indicating that moving some World Cup games away from the initial host cities wasn’t really his idea to begin with.

What could it all mean? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess.

I believe Trump isn’t trying to create drama on purpose. I doubt he knows much about soccer or is even remotely interested in the tournament, other than the monetary and political benefits it brings to the table.

However, his statements created quite a polarizing discussion. From a political standpoint, Trump is obviously putting pressure on Democratic mayors, most notably Boston’s Michelle Wu, whom he addressed as radical left in his most recent comments. 

Trump could continue using the World Cup as a method of putting pressure on blue-city mayors, in an effort to promote the legitimacy of his controversial immigration policies. 

What I can’t understand, though, is how he’d accomplish such a feat. A much simpler way to tackle safety concerns is to have more security officers during the month of the World Cup. I reckon that would be a far cheaper, less drastic, and far more logical solution.

Will Trump Move World Cup Games?

So, will Trump try to move World Cup games from cities like Boston and Seattle? Could he actually do it? If so, should he do it?

So many questions, yet so little time remaining before the first whistle of the 2026 World Cup.

World Cup Host Cities

Before venturing any deeper into the discussion, here are the 11 US cities set to host the 2026 Soccer World Cup:

• Seattle (Lumen Field)
• San Francisco (Levi’s Stadium)
• Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium)
• Houston (NRG Stadium)
• Dallas (AT&T Stadium)
• Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
• Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
• Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
• Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
• New York (MetLife Stadium)
• Boston (Gillette Stadium)

In addition to these 11 cities, the 2026 World Cup will be hosted in Mexico’s Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, and Canada’s Toronto and Vancouver. 

Obviously, Trump can only affect the 11 US host cities. Mind you, though, he’s only addressed concerns regarding Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston due to safety concerns.

In my opinion, I believe he’s playing the good old “tough on crime” trick. It’s worked in the past, so why wouldn’t it work now?

While Trump doesn’t have direct authority over which cities will host the matches, that decision is between host cities, the US Soccer Federation, and FIFA. However, he could use his influence to facilitate the process.

The real question is, would FIFA make it happen just because of Trump?

Would FIFA Accept Trump’s Demands?

Even if  Trump tries to escalate the matter with Gianni Infantino, as he suggested he’d do, chances are FIFA wouldn’t budge.

However, the host city agreements also include a clause that specifically addresses potential revocation. Seattle recently released its host city agreement, which clearly indicates that Seattle has agreed to significantly enhance public safety and transportation before the World Cup.

Mind you, these things aren’t cheap! If Seattle, Boston, or any other city doesn’t reach the required security and safety minimums, FIFA technically could revoke its host status and move games to a different stadium.

Still, doing so seems like quite a long shot at this point.

Why? For starters, the logistics of such a move are outright frightening, especially this close to the World Cup kickoff. Let’s talk about that!

The Logistics are Frightening

The Trump and FIFA World Cup drama has one big aspect that none of us can properly comprehend – the logistics.

The logistics are the boogeyman here. As much as you hate (or love) to see it, Seattle, Boston, and all other host cities have spent years preparing for the event. Now, they’re nearly at the finish line, and I really doubt Trump (or anyone else for that matter) could make a sudden switch of play and move their matches to another location.

Where would the matches be moved to?

• To another host city in the US?

This could be the easiest solution, but it would require a ton of resources and is nearly impossible to accomplish everything with just half a year to go.

• To another US non-host city?

Denver, Orlando, anyone? I mean, it’s plausible, but it would need impeccable organisation and logistics to finish everything in time before the start.

• To another host city in Mexico or Canada?

While Mexican and Canadian fans would love this idea, it’s the least possible scenario. Moving any of the matches to a different host country is not going to happen.

Trump Won’t Move World Cup Games

From a completely objective and logical standpoint, Trump’s World Cup statements are nothing but a political play for the masses. They don’t make any sense and will likely not see the light of day, especially with the World Cup set to kick off in just over six months.

Heck, I doubt Trump has serious intentions of shuffling World Cup host cities. In my opinion, the journalists pressed him into answering their questions, only to create drama… because that’s what they’re paid to do.

The tickets are already sold out, the organizers are knee-deep in preparations for one of the world’s biggest spectacles, and the logistics required to move to a different location in such a short time frame make the scenario virtually impossible.

One thing is certain: if the media continues to sound the alarm, it’s only a matter of time before the first online sportsbooks start including bets on whether or not Trump moves any World Cup games.

I, for one, would love to see it. $100 on a big fat “NO” bet would surely provide me with some extra beer money.