Donald Trump will be allowed to move World Cup matches if he wants

Martin Macdonald

• 18 Nov 2025 04:10 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

FIFA have confirmed that United States president Donald Trump will be allowed to move the location of some World Cup matches if he has safety concerns over the city.

The 2026 edition of the World Cup is set to take place across Canada, Mexico and the USA, with 78 of the 104 fixtures slated to be played in the USA.

Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle will host games next year, but Trump previously suggested that he could 'move' games if any of the host cities are deemed 'unsafe' amid continuous political tension in the country.

The cities that are being threatened with this action are ones under Democratic control. Trump is a Republican.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office last month, Trump said: "It will be safe for the World Cup. If I think it isn't safe, we'll move it into a different city."

He also added that he could take the same measures for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

"If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, or for the Olympics, but for the World Cup in particular, because they're playing in so many cities, we won't allow it to go. We'll move it around a little bit."

These comments have given rise to questions about whether the US president has the authority to even make such a massive change, considering that the ability to host World Cup games is a huge source of pride - and a logistical challenge - for cities.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump's friend, has now apparently given the president this authority.

When asked about the newly elected democratic socialist mayor of Seattle, Katie Wilson, Trump said: “If we think there’s going to be the sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city … So if we think there’s a problem in Seattle where you have a very very Liberal/communist mayor … we’ll say ‘Gianni, can I say we will move?’ I don’t think you’re gonna have this problem. But we’re gonna move the event to someplace where it’s going to be appreciated and safe.”

Infantino responded, while standing next to Trump: “Yeah, I think safety and security is the number one priority for a successful World Cup. We are working together, we have a task force for this and we must ensure that all fans coming from abroad, being here they can experience a celebration of coming together of the sport and this goes only with 100 per cent safety."

Q: Seattle has six World Cup games. How close are you gonna be watching that city with the crime?

TRUMP: Well, if we think that the mayor of LA is incompetent -- everybody knows that. If they let the water come in that wouldn't have happened ... if we think there's gonna be… pic.twitter.com/bL4Xjjxgaq

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 17, 2025

Trump has waged war on the democratic cities that have refused to comply with his Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

If a World Cup venue was to be moved at this stage, it would be a logistical nightmare and cost fans further money, especially if they have already booked travel and accommodation.

Trump warned Boston mayor Michelle Wu last month that he could call on FIFA to take away its World Cup games. “We can take them away. I love the people of Boston and I know the games are sold out but the mayor is not good … she’s intelligent, but she’s radical left,” he threatened.

“If somebody’s doing a bad job and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another location,’ and he would do that.”