Unprecedented times call for previously unthinkable conversations when it comes to the US-shaped problem. Could European countries really decide to boycott the World Cup this summer? It is an astonishing question to be asking in 2026 and an indictment of the bind in which, as Donald Trump sows confusion around a potential annexation of Greenland, the world’s most popular sport finds itself.
Senior figures are asking what, in a worst-case scenario, it would take for football to meet the moment. As the Guardian reported this week, an anniversary party for the Hungarian FA on Monday became the forum for unofficial discussions among national association heads about how a unified approach to the US-shaped problem might take shape. There is a growing belief that Europe’s governing bodies must cohere behind a common position – or at least prepare one.
Some key figures expect military aggression would be the breaking point for Uefa and the federations it covers. In the event Trump’s latest pronouncements stand the test of time, any whispers about a boycott will remain hushed for now. None of Europe’s FAs are in a rush to go public with a stance and plenty may follow their governments’ positions.
The French sports minister, Marina Ferrari, said on Tuesday that the country has no plan to boycott but added the caveat “as it stands now”. The German minister for sports, Christiane Schenderlein, deflected any decision making to “the competent sports associations”.
The tight bond between Gianni Infantino’s leadership and the Trump administration means European football cannot look away. There is a consensus that Fifa has chosen to politicise itself; that could bring consequences if the US president intensifies his designs on a territory that belongs indisputably to a Uefa member in Denmark.
