Calls grow to boycott FIFA World Cup in United States

As the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup, pressure is mounting from sections of the global football community to consider a boycott by fans, national teams, or even football associations.

The calls, emerging from parts of Europe including Germany and the Netherlands, come against a backdrop of intensifying geopolitical tensions and controversial US policy decisions. Some critics have gone as far as urging FIFA to remove the United States as a host nation until it demonstrates greater compliance with international law and respect for sovereignty.

The US is also due to host the Olympic Games within the next few years, further intensifying scrutiny over whether global sport can or should separate itself from politics.

Can FIFA act against a host nation?

A key question is whether FIFA even has the power to act. While comparisons are being drawn with FIFA’s ban on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the reality is more complex.

FIFA’s statutes apply sanctions to member associations, not governments. In Russia’s case, the ban on international matches was driven largely by other teams refusing to play due to security concerns, rather than a direct expulsion by FIFA itself.

This distinction has raised doubts over whether similar action could be taken against the United States, despite growing discomfort over issues such as immigration crackdowns, travel bans affecting multiple countries, and controversial foreign policy positions.

“Sport and politics have always mixed”

Speaking on 702, Al Jazeera sports presenter Peter Stemmet said the idea that sport exists outside politics is largely a myth.

“The reality is that sport and politics have always mixed, whether we like it or not,” Stemmet said. “Most of us are of the view that sports and politics should not mix, but it’s always been the case.”

He pointed to the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany, where Adolf Hitler sought to project Aryan supremacy, a narrative famously undermined by American sprinter Jesse Owens.

During the Cold War, he added, Olympic medal tables became proxy battlegrounds between the United States and the Soviet Union, with sporting success tied directly to national prestige.

A history of controversial World Cups

Stemmet also highlighted past FIFA World Cups held under politically fraught conditions, including the 1978 tournament in Argentina during a military dictatorship.

“There are a lot of question marks and even asterisks next to some of the results at that World Cup,” he said, noting ongoing debates about fairness and political influence.

In that sense, he argued, today’s controversy is not new, but rather part of a long pattern where global sport reflects global power struggles.

Fans face a personal choice

The growing debate leaves fans with difficult questions: follow the tournament as usual, boycott it in protest, or demand stronger action from football authorities.

As the world’s biggest sporting event approaches, the US World Cup may force international sport to confront an uncomfortable reality that keeping politics out of football has never truly been possible.

For more information, listen to Stemmet using the audio player below: