Trump fuels debate
World Cup boycott? The federal government is reacting clearly
02/03/2026 – 8:44 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The federal government is positioning itself against a possible boycott of the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Minister of State Christiane Schenderlein draws attention to sport’s role.
The federal government has clearly spoken out against a boycott of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. “We have reached an agreement within the federal government, and when it comes to a boycott, we say: We do not support that,” Christiane Schenderlein, State Minister for Sport and Volunteering, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The CDU politician justified this stance by saying that sport should not be used for foreign policy purposes. A boycott would not only affect the USA, but also the co-hosts Canada and Mexico.
The experiences of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar also play a role in the assessment. At that time, the human rights situation in the host country caused tensions. The then Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) demonstratively wore a “One Love” armband while the German team covered their mouths before their first game. “It wasn’t a good situation that arose,” said Schenderlein.
The Presidium of the German Football Association (DFB) had already taken a stand against a boycott of the World Cup last Friday. The association said staying away is “currently not an issue.” “We believe in the unifying power of sport and in the global impact that a World Cup can have. Our goal is to strengthen this positive force – not to prevent it.”
The debate arose from US President Donald Trump’s aggressive policy with regard to Greenland and from the escalation in operations by the immigration authority ICE. The first voices then came from the ranks of politics and from DFB Vice President Oke Göttlich that brought up the possibility of a boycott.
