FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani struck down U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to move certain host cities for the 2026 World Cup, asserting that only FIFA can “make those decisions.”
The 2026 World Cup is set to unfold across the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer, bringing soccer’s biggest tournament to North America for the first time since 1994. Eleven cities in the U.S., including Seattle and San Francisco, will host matches, which were scrutinized by President Trump last week.
“It will be safe for the World Cup. If I think it isn’t safe [for the World Cup], we’ll move it to a different city. Absolutely… If I think it’s not safe, we’re going to move it out of that city,” the U.S. president said.
Now, Montagliani made his and FIFA’s stance clear on the subject, going directly against the remarks of President Trump.
Montagliani: Soccer Is ‘Bigger’ Than President Trump, World Leaders
“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” Montagliani, who is also president of Concacaf, said on Wednesday at a sports business conference in London.
“With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans.
“That’s the beauty of our game, is that it is bigger than any individual and bigger than any country,” Montagliani finished.
The 11 host cities in the U.S., along with the three in Mexico and two in Canada, are under contract with FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. Severe logistical, legal and financial issues could arise with the change of any host city with the tournament just nine months away.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has not yet weighed in on the subject.
Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT Caught in the Middle
The U.S. men’s national team kicks off their 2026 World Cup campaign in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium before heading to Seattle to play their second group stage match at Lumen Field.
The stakes surrounding the match could be much bigger than just three points should President Trump ramp up his threat to remove Seattle as one of the host cities for the competition. The city has been one of several in the U.S. to push back against President Trump’s immigration and crime policies.
It remains unclear how matches could, or potentially would, be moved to other cities. The World Cup draw is slated to take place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘It’s FIFA’s Tournament’—FIFA VP Responds to President Trump’s Remarks Over Moving 2026 World Cup Games.
