World Cup chaos? Trump says he’ll pull games from Democrat-led states: “The mayors are going to have to behave”

The latest meeting of the 2026 World Cup Task Force, held as always at the White House and led by President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, once again left several host cities on edge. The tournament begins in barely seven months, yet some venues appear to remain at risk. Trump took aim at cities led by Democrats, which could throw FIFA into an unprecedented mess.

“Move it to another city”

The gathering, which also included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, turned tense when Trump was asked about Seattle’s newly elected socialist mayor, Katie Wilson. He replied, “If we see any potential problem, I would ask Gianni to move it to another city.”

He continued, “So if we see an issue in Seattle, where they have a very liberal or communist mayor, we will say, ‘Gianni, can I say we are moving it?’ I do not think they will have that problem. But we will move the event to a place where it will be welcomed and where it will be safe.”

Infantino’s awkward reaction to Trump comments

Placed squarely in a difficult position, Infantino responded, “Yes, I believe security is the number one priority for the success of a World Cup.” His comment once again raised questions about the future of World Cup host cities led by Democrats, many of which have been sharply criticized by Trump in recent months.

Soccer is “bigger” than Trump, but FIFA stance not settled

Just over a month ago, CONCACAF president and FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani attempted to put the issue to rest during an event in London. “It is a FIFA tournament and FIFA makes those decisions. With all due respect to current world leaders, soccer is bigger than they are and it will outlast their governments, their regimes and their slogans.”

Even so, Infantino’s stance, shaped by his close strategic and commercial relationship with Trump, remains ambiguous. It highlights the difficult position FIFA finds itself in. The World Cup draw takes place on December 5 in Washington, where the U.S. president is expected to attend, just as he did at last summer’s Club World Cup final in the New York and New Jersey area.

Trump threatens political and logistical chaos

The United States is cohosting the World Cup with Mexico and Canada. It has eleven confirmed host cities, most of them governed by Democratic mayors, including Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia and Seattle. Changing the lineup of host cities with so little time left and based on Trump’s accusations could create a financial and political maze for FIFA.

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