Increasing numbers of Europeans are calling for a boycott of this summer’s World Cup in North America amid concerns about Trump’s policies, surveillance measures, and recent crackdowns.
President Donald Trump has closely aligned himself with this summer’s World Cup tournament across Canada, Mexico and the United States, receiving FIFA’s newly created “peace prize” from president Gianni Infantino in December. Foreign fans face mounting obstacles including expensive tickets, visa difficulties, and invasive social media vetting by the Trump administration, with most matches scheduled for U.S. venues.
European opposition intensified following Trump’s Venezuela raid and Minneapolis crackdown, sparking boycott movements across the continent. A Dutch petition stating “We do not want our footballers, through their performances at the tournament, to implicitly support the policy of violent terrorism pursued by President Donald Trump against innocent immigrants, whether or not they hold a U.S. passport,” has collected over 140,000 signatures as Europeans increasingly question America’s fitness to host.