U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup could be relocated from host cities he considers unsafe, a claim that has stirred concern among local officials, organisers and legal experts.
The tournament is set to kick off on 11 June 2026, and will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the US staging 78 of the 104 fixtures, including the final. FIFA selected 11 American locations – Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle – as official hosts after years of bidding and preparation.
Asked by reporters in the Oval Office about crime and immigration policies in Democratic-run cities such as Seattle and San Francisco, Trump responded that games could be moved if he deemed them unsafe. “If I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it into a different city,” he said. “If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, we won’t allow it. We’ll move it around a little bit.”
According to The Athletic, Trump’s comments came after a reporter suggested games might shift if cities refused to cooperate with his crime and immigration initiatives. Trump initially deflected but eventually entertained the idea, speaking for nearly three minutes and criticising Democratic leaders.
Questions remain over whether Trump has any real authority to influence World Cup scheduling. FIFA owns the tournament and signed binding host city agreements years ago. Nathan O’Malley, an attorney at Musick, Peeler & Garrett and co-leader of the firm’s Olympics & World Cup practice group, told The Athletic that “the federal government is not a direct party to these agreements,” meaning Trump cannot unilaterally cancel them. At most, he could pressure FIFA or potentially politicise the distribution of USD$625 million in federal security funds recently allocated to World Cup host cities.
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City officials quickly pushed back. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell called Trump’s remarks evidence of “ignorance,” noting that violent crime in the city is down 20 percent and that investments are being made in safety preparations. “We’re working every day to make the World Cup a safe, welcoming, and fun experience,” Harrell said in a statement, while Seattle’s World Cup committee stressed its ongoing coordination with FIFA and law enforcement.
Other host cities echoed similar sentiments. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city was “very excited” and stated in a press conference that Trump is “wrong on the law and you are wrong on safety. Most of all, you are wrong on cities.” Representatives from New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia and Kansas City also reaffirmed their security plans and partnerships with FIFA.
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Whether FIFA would ever consider relocating matches remains doubtful. Planning for the expanded 48-team World Cup has been happening for years, and stadium modifications are complete. Tickets and hospitality packages have already been marketed for specific stadiums, making changes at this stage highly impractical. According to FIFA insiders cited by The Athletic, local organisers have been told that games will not be moved.
The final draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place on 5 December at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
