Top German football official calls for boycott of the 2026 World Cup

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 27 Jan 2026 06:08 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

A top German football executive has called on the nation to consider boycotting the 2026 World Cup.

The next edition of the World Cup will take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

At the moment, there is political and social unrest in the USA that has catalysed violence on the streets. US President Donald Trump has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents throughout the country which has catalysed incidents of violence on the streets.

Over the last two weeks, two citizens have been shot and killed by ICE agents - Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

ICE murdered Renée Good in broad daylight. Less than 3 weeks later, they killed Alex Pretti, shooting him 10 times. Every day, we watch as people are ripped from their cars, their homes, their lives.

We can't allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE. pic.twitter.com/wtg0eAZitc

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 26, 2026

The president's foreign policy has also led to major worldwide criticism after he kidnapped Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro.

Since Trump was awarded FIFA's Inaugural 'Peace Prize' by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, he has ordered military action in Venezuela and Nigeria and has also threatened similar action in Greenland, Colombia, Iran and even fellow tournament hosts, Mexico.

Last week, St. Pauli president Oke Goettlich, a member of the German Football Association’s (DFB), triggered discussion about a potential boycott.

“What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s?” Goettlich told the Hamburger Morgenpost, in reference to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.

“By my reckoning, the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.”

Goettlich has received criticism for his suggestion.

Bernd Neuendorf, the president of the DFB, accused Goettlich of "jumping the gun" and speaking prematurely.

“I don’t think this is a major debate at all, because I believe we at the DFB are very much in agreement that we consider it completely misguided at this point,” Neuendorf said.

“It’s a statement from a single representative from the (DFB) executive committee. This colleague hasn’t been with us that long, but as a rule, we discuss these issues within our committees first and then form an opinion.”

"For the fans, there's only one piece of advice: stay away from the USA!” I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup. #MarkPieth #GianniInfantino #DonaldTrump #FIFAWorldCup2026 #USA

— Joseph S Blatter (@SeppBlatter) January 26, 2026

Hans-Joachim Watzke, chief executive of the Deutsche Fussball Liga, also rejected calls for a boycott.

Goettlich has emerged as an outspoken character in German football since he became president of St. Pauli, one of the clubs in the country known for its left-wing political leanings.

The criticism from other officials has apparently only enhanced his opinion.

“It is clearly time to at least discuss a boycott,” he tells The Athletic.

“We do not know yet how the coming months will unfold. Right now, Germany’s Foreign Office has issued travel advisories for parts of the United States. We are seeing people die on the streets as a result of actions by immigration enforcement — ICE. We do not know yet what will happen with Greenland.

“Against that backdrop, it is responsible and necessary to openly discuss which scenarios are on the table.”

His comments come just one day after former FIFA president Sepp Blatter endorsed the opinion of corruption lawyer Mark Pieth who encouraged football fans to stay away from the United States this summer.