Due to the tense relations between European governments and the United States, calls for a boycott of the European teams at the 2026 World Cup are starting to gain momentum. Politicians, fans and football officials are among those who believe that the actions of the Donald Trump administration - especially regarding Greenland - make participation in the tournament problematic. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said he would not use force to annex Greenland, but he had previously said: “We probably won't achieve anything unless I decide to use excessive force and violence, in which case, frankly, we will be unstoppable“-
Knowing how quickly the American president changes his mind on any issue, European governments should remain prepared for any scenario - regardless of the announcement that the framework of the Greenland agreement has been agreed with NATO. The same applies to European football federations.
"Last resort"
Mogens Jensen, spokesman for the Danish Social Democrats for culture, media and sport, told DW that Denmark, which includes the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland, is not calling for a boycott for now. "My party and I believe that this is one of the last resort measures. But if Trump still decides that an invasion is the way to achieve his goal, a boycott would be very appropriate," Jensen said. He still hopes that it will not come to that.
According to information from various sources, a meeting was held at UEFA on Monday with the heads of several football associations, the main topic of which was probably the 10 percent tariffs that Trump planned to impose on eight European countries for their support for Greenland. Trump said on Wednesday that he would cancel them if the deal with NATO is concluded.
Of the eight countries in question, five have already qualified for the tournament - Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom (England and Scotland), while Denmark, Sweden and Northern Ireland, which is also part of the United Kingdom, are in the playoffs, and Finland did not qualify. But it is not only in Denmark that a change of heart could occur - in Germany there are also voices calling for a boycott of the championship. Roderich Kiesewetter from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union and a member of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee admitted that a boycott is possible without American military intervention on the island.
"If Trump carries out his threat about Greenland and starts a trade war with the EU, I find it difficult to imagine how European countries will participate in the World Cup", he told the newspaper “Augsburger Allgemeine“.
However, Sports Minister Christiane Schenderlein has shifted the responsibility to the German Football Association (DFB): "Decisions on participation or boycott of major sporting events are made solely by the competent sports associations, not by politicians", she told Agence France-Presse. DW has sent a request to the DFB asking for comment on the topic, but has not yet received a response.
A petition is being prepared in the Netherlands
A petition for a boycott is already underway in the Netherlands, which has so far collected over 135,000 signatures and continues to attract new supporters. Organizer Toin van de Koeken is disappointed by the inaction of politicians in view of the fact that one NATO member is threatening another. “Sports associations almost always say that they do not want to mix politics and sports, but the problem is that politics is already there and you have to take a stand,“ Van de Koeken told DW. He is now considering how to make the petition accessible to an even wider audience, as the dissatisfaction among fans with this tournament is huge, the Dutchman claims.
“The idea of a boycott is popular among football fans like me. I would not like this to happen because there would be no World Cup, which is always an important event in sport and I love it. But I think the political situation is more important now“, argues the initiator of the petition.
Peace Prize raises questions about neutrality
Against the backdrop of FIFA President Gianni Infantino's public rapprochement with Trump, FIFA's usual argument for a politically neutral position sounds rather ridiculous. Danish politician Jensen is also concerned that it will allow Trump to use the tournament for “propaganda“.
“I can't help but be concerned that FIFA has suddenly decided that the US president deserves a peace prize, which has never existed before. I don't know why FIFA should award a peace prize, but it could be a warning of what might be in store for us when the tournament is held in the US,“ says spokesman Jensen.
And he is not the only one to express such doubts - although most political parties and football federations have taken a wait-and-see attitude, waiting to see what Trump's exact intentions are. The new tariffs are due to come into effect on 1 February if the NATO agreement Trump has been talking about is not signed by then.
Can European football unite if necessary?
A possible European boycott of the tournament could also lead the rest of the football world to abandon it, given that Europe is home to the strongest football clubs. In Britain, France and some other countries, voices can be heard "for" and "against" boycott of the 2026 World Cup, but European champions Spain could take the lead in any such initiative.
The country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was one of the few world leaders to call for Israel to be banned from international sporting events last year. Again, Spain, along with the Netherlands and several other countries, said they would boycott Eurovision over the war in Gaza.
Another country that would be hit hard by Trump's punitive tariffs if they go into effect is Norway. Lise Klavenes, who heads the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), believes that if a boycott comes to fruition, no country can and should act alone: "In these times, it is especially important that countries in Europe speak with one voice and be united," she said.
Author: Matt Pearson