FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani has dismissed latest feedback made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who prompt that some 2026 World Cup host cities in the US could possibly be modified if there are security issues. Montagliani made it clear that solely FIFA has the ability to make such choices, not any authorities.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will happen throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico — the primary time the event will return to North America since 1994. Eleven American cities, together with Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco, are set to host matches.
Nonetheless, Trump not too long ago stated that if he believes a metropolis isn’t protected, the U.S. authorities would step in and transfer matches elsewhere. “If I feel it’s not protected, we’re going to maneuver it out of that metropolis. Completely,” Trump stated.
Montagliani, who can also be the president of CONCACAF, strongly pushed again throughout a sports activities enterprise occasion in London. He stated, “It’s FIFA’s event, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes these choices.”
He added that soccer is greater than any chief or nation. “With all due respect to present world leaders, soccer is greater than them. Soccer will survive their governments and their slogans. That’s the great thing about the sport — it’s greater than any particular person.”
The 11 host cities within the U.S., together with three in Mexico and two in Canada, have signed contracts with FIFA. Any try to vary venues at this stage — with lower than a yr till the event begins — would trigger severe authorized, monetary, and planning issues.
