Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter weighed in on calls to boycott the upcoming World Cup in North America, saying he agreed that the tournament deserved questioning. Blatter was commenting on remarks by Swiss lawyer and anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth, who urged fans to avoid the US-hosted event.
Pieth told Swiss paper Der Bund: “For the fans, there’s only one piece of advice: Stay away from the USA!” In an online post, Blatter quoted Pieth and wrote, “Pieth is right to question this World Cup.” Pieth added that fans would “get a better view on television anyway” and warned that travelers could be turned away and sent home if US officials objected to them.
Pieth’s comments were partly prompted by recent deaths involving US immigration enforcement, including Renee Good, shot by an immigration agent in Minnesota, and the later death of Alex Pretti. A handful of European politicians have also suggested a possible boycott, though most said such a measure should be a last resort — for example, in response to an extreme scenario such as the US using military force over Greenland.
A full national-team boycott is rare in modern football. The last team to miss out after qualifying was Turkey in 1950 due to cost; the Soviet Union was disqualified in 1974 after refusing to play a qualifier second leg in Chile in protest at the 1973 coup there.
Concerns for fans extend beyond political objections. The 2026 tournament is expected to be the most expensive World Cup in history, and supporters face a prolonged US immigration crackdown and travel restrictions. Citizens of countries including Iran and Haiti — both of which have teams that qualified — face US entry bans. Fans from Ivory Coast and Senegal are also likely to encounter visa difficulties.
Blatter’s criticism drew attention given his own controversial legacy at FIFA. Suspended from all FIFA events until 2028, he led the organization when it awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. He resigned in 2015 amid public outrage over allegations of corruption and bribery tied to those bids and questions about his election to a fifth term.
Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini have criticized current FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his relationship with Donald Trump. Platini said earlier this month that Infantino had “become more of an autocrat” who “likes the rich and powerful.”
Correction: A previous version of this article suggested Sepp Blatter made the call to stay away from the US-hosted World Cup; the call was made by anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth. The last sentence has also been corrected to state that Platini criticized Infantino, not Blatter. DW apologizes for any confusion.
