World Cup: Boycott as Resistance

Sporting events are never completely devoid of political content, especially when states or athletes express their opinions regarding certain events. Well, with the approach of the 2026 World Cup, following the pressure on Europe, the violation of human rights and international law norms by the US, will Europe pretend this is just football, or is there something more important?

I. History

In 1931, the International Olympic Committee announced that the Olympic Games, which would take place in 1936, would be held in Berlin, something that was announced while the Weimar Republic was still in place (Britannica, 2026). After Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 and with the increase in discriminatory acts against Jews, a debate began, especially in the United States, about a potential boycott of these Olympic Games, with many considering that the Nazi regime would use this event to promote the regime (Holocaust Encyclopedia, n.d.), while others argued that the best form of response would be to defeat the Germans in the competitions that would take place.

Curling match, Milano Cortina 2026. Photo by Sreyus Guruvu on Unsplash

In 1933, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) declared a boycott of the 1936 Olympic Games (The New York Times, 1933), but ended up reversing this decision in 1935, when the Nazi regime stated that it would guarantee the participation of several German Jews in the competitions (Holocaust Encyclopedia, n.d).

In 1964, at the Tokyo Olympic Games, the IOC banned South Africa’s participation, supporting international protests against the Apartheid regime. And at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico, despite the IOC having initially issued an invitation to South Africa, after pressure from several states, it withdrew this invitation and once again banned its participation (Gonzales, 2013).

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, the United States launched a campaign to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympic Games, which were to take place in Moscow – several countries, including West Germany and Canada, joined the United States in this boycott (NZ History, 2025). In 1984, the USSR responded with a counter-boycott of the Olympic Games that were to take place in Los Angeles, which was also joined by countries such as Angola, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary (National Archive, 2023). These two cases clearly occurred within the context of the Cold War.

II. Selectivity

Recently, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, the IOC, UEFA and FIFA banned the participation of Russian teams in their competitions, including their participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar – which was also marked by the possibility of a boycott, that never happened, despite clear evidence of human rights violations in the preparation of the tournament and repression of LGBT people.

Additionally, UEFA decided to change the city where the Champions League final was to take place, which had been scheduled for Saint Petersburg, moving it to Paris. Went even further by cancelling its partnership with Gazprom, a gas supply company majority-owned by the Russian state, which was one of the main sponsors of its competitions (Euronews, 2022).

At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, Russian athletes can participate as “Individual Neutral Athletes” after being scrutinized to verify that they do not support the invasion of Ukraine and have no connection to the Russian armed forces (Moscow Times, 2026).

These Olympic Games also prove that sporting events are always political, as evidenced by the expulsion of Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych for wearing a helmet in homage to Ukrainian athletes killed during the invasion (The New Voice of Ukraine, 2026).

There has also been a discussion about the participation of Israel in Eurovision 2026, due to the genocide in Gaza, and some countries, such as Spain and the Netherlands, have already announced a boycott of the event. While the European Broadcasting Union (EBU, 2025) announced in December that the event would take place as planned, without excluding Israel’s participation in the contest.

So, what we can understand is that boycotts are an appropriate tool to help raise the visibility of certain issues and to non-violently pressure states to change their policies.

World Cup Trophy. Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash

However, for a boycott to be effective it must be carried out by a large number of states, or by a small number of states with a great deal of influence; and there is also the perception that boycotts can be partial – as we see from the fact that states were very quick to promote boycotts after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but most of them maintain neutral positions regarding Israel’s participation in major events, such as Eurovision.

Consequently, they can be seen as instruments of selective application of power, rather than as a means of protecting values.

III. Trump and the 2026 World Cup

During his first term, President Donald Trump defended the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, stating that it was a real estate opportunity and a strategic acquisition (WSJ, 2019). Lately, the President of the United States has been claiming that the acquisition of Greenland is necessary for security reasons – but this narrative does not coincide with the current military presence on the island, with only around 200 troops stationed there (ABC, 2026).

Due to the pressure that the United States has been exerting regarding the acquisition of Greenland, European countries have been reacting in an incoherent manner, some more cautious and others more assertive, but their positions have generally been intensifying. Whether through the EU’s presentation of retaliatory measures or through stronger speeches in Davos.

Meanwhile, due to threats of annexation of Greenland and due to security concerns following the murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, voices have emerged advocating a boycott of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with most matches being played in the United States. Mark Pieth, a Swiss lawyer who worked at FIFA, argued that fans should avoid attending matches played in the United States, a statement that received the endorsement of Sepp Blatter, former president of FIFA (The Guardian, 2026).

These are joined by further voices, such as the vice-president of the German Football Association and politicians from several European countries (TIME, 2026).

IV. Efficiency and Limits

Well, there are several problems that can be raised with a potential boycott.

First, it would have to be a boycott with total, or almost total, adherence by European countries, as well as by countries that could recognize the problems raised by these countries. This seems very difficult, as the German Football Association has already stated that it will not do so (Al Jazeera, 2026), and the French Minister of Sport has also ruled out this possibility (The Guardian, 2026).

Second, football is a sport that triggers strong emotions, with fans highly committed to their national teams. That being said, there is a risk of a lack of public support, even if it concerns the protection of European interests. Without legitimacy among fans, a potential boycott would not only be ineffective but would also entail excessive risks for governments.

For that reason, although there are some voices in favor, there does not seem to be political and social willingness to carry out a boycott on the scale necessary to create impact and lead to a reversal of policies by the White House.

However, as supporters, as defenders of democracy, we should ask ourselves: at a moment when the United States displays hostility towards European countries, and there are cases of human rights violations in that country, does traveling to the United States, and unconditionally supporting our national teams, not lead to a normalization of these policies?

References

1. ABC News. (2026, January 16). What we know about U.S. and European military presence in Greenland. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-16/what-we-know-us-european-military-presence-greenland/106232762

2. Al Jazeera. (2026, January 31). German football federation rules out World Cup boycott to oppose Trump. https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/1/31/german-football-federation-rules-out-world-cup-boycott-to-oppose-trump

3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2026). Berlin 1936 Olympic Games. https://www.britannica.com/event/Berlin-1936-Olympic-Games

4. European Broadcasting Union. (2025, December). EBU members show clear support for reforms to reinforce trust and protect neutrality of Eurovision Song Contest, allowing all members to participate. https://www.ebu.ch/news/2025/12/ebu-members-show-clear-support-for-eurovision-reforms

5. Euronews. (2022, February 28). FIFA bans Russia from World Cup after IOC call to suspend athletes. https://www.euronews.com/2022/02/28/fifa-bans-russia-from-world-cup-after-ioc-call-to-suspend-athletes

6. Gonzales, J. (2013). Trans-national resistance forces South Africa out of Mexico City Summer Olympics, 1968. Global Nonviolent Action Database. https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/trans-national-resistance-forces-south-africa-out-mexico-city-summer-olympics-1968

7. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. (2025, October 13). 1980 Moscow Olympics boycott. NZHistory. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/1980-moscow-olympics-boycott

8. National Archives and Records Administration. (2023, August 28). Cold War diplomatic games: The 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Prologue. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2023/08/28/cold-war-diplomatic-games-the-1984-los-angeles-summer-olympics/

9. The Guardian. (2026, January 21). France government not in favour of U.S. World Cup boycott over Greenland threats. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jan/21/france-government-not-in-favour-us-world-cup-boycott-greenland-threats

10. The Guardian. (2026, January 26). Sepp Blatter suggests fans should not travel to U.S. for World Cup. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jan/26/sepp-blatter-suggests-fans-should-not-travel-to-us-for-world-cup

11. The Moscow Times. (2026, February 12). At Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Russian athletes are a diminished presence. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/12/at-milan-cortina-winter-olympics-russian-athletes-are-a-diminished-presence-a91929

12. The New Voice of Ukraine. (2026, February 13). Heraskevych says Olympic lawsuit defends dignity of fallen athletes. https://english.nv.ua/life/heraskevych-says-olympic-lawsuit-defends-dignity-of-fallen-athletes-50583692.html

13. The New York Times. (1933, November 21). AAU boycotts 1936 Olympics because of the Nazi ban on Jews. https://www.nytimes.com/1933/11/21/archives/aau-boycotts-1936-olympics-because-of-the-nazi-ban-on-jews.html

14. TIME. (2026, January 27). Calls for a boycott of the World Cup grow. https://time.com/7358117/fifa-world-cup-boycott-soccer-football-trump-infantino

15. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.). The movement to boycott the Berlin Olympics of 1936. Holocaust Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-movement-to-boycott-the-berlin-olympics-of-1936

16. The Wall Street Journal. (2019, August 16). Trump eyes a new real estate purchase: Greenland. https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-eyes-a-new-real-estate-purchase-greenland-11565904223

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