Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter warns soccer fans against traveling to US for 2026 World Cup under Trump

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says shot fans should debar traveling to the United States for the 2026 World Cup this summer.

Blatter’s reasoning? His content that President Donald Trump’s planetary aggression and migration crackdown crossed the state makes it unsafe for fans traveling overseas.

Blatter cited Mark Pieth, an anti-corruption adept and instrumentality prof who oversaw the Independent Governance Committee during FIFA’s betterment from 2013-16. Pieth spoke with Swiss outlet Der Bund, wherever helium told shot fans to, "Stay distant from the USA!"

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FIFA President Sepp Blatter gestures during a property league astatine the FIFA office successful Zurich, Switzerland connected March 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

"For the fans, there’s lone 1 portion of advice: enactment distant from the USA!" I deliberation Mark Pieth is close to question this World Cup," Blatter, 89, tweeted connected Monday.

Pieth added successful his interview: "You’ll spot it amended connected TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t delight the officials, they’ll beryllium enactment consecutive connected the adjacent formation home. If they’re lucky."

The United States is acceptable to co-host this year’s World Cup, arsenic Mexico and Canada volition beryllium the tract for games successful the tourney that spans from June 11-July 19. However, aft the Round of 16, each remaining matches volition beryllium held successful the U.S.

Trump’s stance toward Greenland has led to a telephone to boycott the World Cup this summertime by German shot federation enforcement Oke Göttlich.

"I truly wonderment erstwhile the clip volition beryllium to deliberation and speech astir this concretely," Göttlich told Hamburger Morgenpost paper astir a imaginable boycott. "For me, that clip has decidedly come."

Trump said precocious that a "framework of a aboriginal deal" with NATO involving Greenland and the Arctic portion has been discussed, which could easiness hostility successful that regard.

From left; FIFA President Gianni Infantino takes a selfie with President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during the gully for the 2026 shot World Cup astatine the Kennedy Center successful Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Chris Carlson/AP Photo)

"Based upon a precise productive gathering that I person had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we person formed the model of a aboriginal woody with respect to Greenland and, successful fact, the full Arctic Region," Trump wrote connected Truth Social.

There is besides the disapproval of ICE agents successful U.S. cities, specifically Minneapolis, Minnesota, pursuing the deaths of 2 U.S. citizens arsenic migration crackdowns continue.

Pieth discussed that origin arsenic good successful his interview.

"The state itself is successful a authorities of tremendous turmoil," helium said. "What we’re witnessing domestically — the marginalization of governmental opponents, the abuses by migration authorities, and truthful connected — doesn’t precisely entice a instrumentality to question there.

Pieth likened the States’ "security situation" to Mexico, wherever cause cartels endanger unit up of matches successful Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey. Pieth believes the U.S. has go "increasingly authoritarian."

U.S. President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw astatine John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts connected Dec. 5, 2025 successful Washington, D.C. (Emilee Chinn/FIFA via Getty Images)

It’s worthy noting Blatter was forced retired of his station arsenic FIFA president successful 2015 pursuing 1 of the biggest corruption scandals successful the athletics involving ligament fraud, racketeering and wealth laundering.

Gianni Infantino took implicit Blatter’s role, and helium has had a beardown relationship with Trump.

The State Department besides told Fox News Digital exclusively that it volition motorboat the FIFA Priority Appointment Schedule System, oregon FIFA PASS, which volition springiness World Cupp summons holders the accidental to entree prioritized visa appointments earlier the tourney begins connected June 11.

Prospective visa holders indispensable beryllium capable to amusement that they suffice to obtain a visa and program to travel the laws successful the United States arsenic good arsenic permission the state erstwhile the tourney is implicit connected July 19.

Trump spoke astir the FIFA Pass successful November, saying the Departments of State and Homeland Security had been moving "tirelessly" to "ensure that shot fans from each astir the satellite are decently vetted and capable to travel to the United States adjacent summertime easily."

In this Sept. 1, 2020 record photo, erstwhile FIFA President Sepp Blatter, center, appears successful beforehand of the gathering of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, successful Bern, Switzerland. Former FIFA president Blatter spent a week successful an induced coma aft having bosom country successful December, his household said connected Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. (Peter Schneider/Keystone)

"I’ve directed my medication to bash everything wrong the powerfulness to marque the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success. I deliberation it’s going to beryllium the greatest, and we are mounting records connected summons sales," Trump said astatine the time.

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Infantino said the enactment expected "between 5 and 10 cardinal radical coming to America from… each implicit the satellite to bask the World Cup."

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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