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Is it time to boycott the World Cup

110 replies

MOntueslite · 24/01/2026 19:59

I know we all said this about the last World Cup. Ice have murdered a man in the street. Surely Europe can send a message and just say no.
It would be the ultimate humiliation for Trump

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Oblivionnnnn · 25/01/2026 11:38

MOntueslite · 25/01/2026 09:10

Just sometimes something is bigger than football.

I do agree but…what actual material difference would this make?

Trump is a psychopath; his mind doesn’t entertain things like shame. It would be of little consequence to him.

It would be great if the tournament could be changed to have minimal games in the US and more in Canada and Mexico but I don’t see how that would be easily done at this stage.

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 25/01/2026 11:41

FIFA should move all of the games to Canada and Mexico.

They won't, though. They gave him a fucking peace prize instead.

We should absolutely boycott it imo, but I don't think it will happen.

MOntueslite · 25/01/2026 11:50

FIFA won’t do anything but fans and players could just say NO

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District66 · 25/01/2026 11:54

What happened during the South African Olympics during a apartheid?
Seem to remember that the political stance was quite successfully taken there

Greenlandforthegreenlanders · 25/01/2026 12:00

Absolutely no question the US world cup games must be boycotted by as many nations as possible. Perfectly possible to either relocate the US games to Mex/Canada, or boycott the whole event. FIFA is a corrupt organisation. The last 2 world cups were held in an undemocratic homophonic petrostate where workers died building obscenely expensive stadia, and an undemocratic homophobic state whose citizens dont care that 1.1 million of their own and tens/hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the country they illegally invaded have died or been wounded. 77 million citizens of the largest by population of the 3 2026 hosting countries voted for a self confessed sexual assaulter and adjudicated rapist who supported the mass murder of largely innocent people including children in Gaza, is friends with war criminals, lies for sport, kidnapped another head of state, is happy for his agents to execute his own citizens and publicly insulted the memories of thousands of dead NATO soldiers. Oh, and was closely involved with and very close friends with a convicted paedophile, and has declined to yet fully publicise the extent of his involvement with said paedophile.

Sskka · 25/01/2026 12:57

Looking forward to being allowed to watch games at Utopia 2030, hope we qualify.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 25/01/2026 13:07

Didn't it go ahead in Qatar despite numerous reports of abuse of immigrants. Relatively speaking USA is a haven where 'only' the occasional migrant gets shot, I heard Qatar systematically abuses them and is responsible for 1000s of deaths. I might be wrong, anyone feel free to elaborate

MissMarplesKnittingNeedles · 25/01/2026 13:45

Yes

MissMarplesKnittingNeedles · 25/01/2026 13:46

(And I thought Qatar should have been boycotted too)

HRTQueen · 25/01/2026 13:54

Dontlletmedownbruce · 25/01/2026 13:07

Didn't it go ahead in Qatar despite numerous reports of abuse of immigrants. Relatively speaking USA is a haven where 'only' the occasional migrant gets shot, I heard Qatar systematically abuses them and is responsible for 1000s of deaths. I might be wrong, anyone feel free to elaborate

Yes human rights records against their own people and migrant workers are utterly appalling

but it turned out to be very successful

people should just own their hypocrisy rather than all the hand wringing we shall see

Goldenbear · 25/01/2026 14:34

HRTQueen · 25/01/2026 13:54

Yes human rights records against their own people and migrant workers are utterly appalling

but it turned out to be very successful

people should just own their hypocrisy rather than all the hand wringing we shall see

How are you measuring 'success' there?

There are lots of people that boycotted that world cup because they are not hypocrites.

Why have the World cup there at all, they don't even historically like football and now this!

itsthetea · 25/01/2026 14:40

quatar may have been successful but we don’t watch in this household

MissyB1 · 25/01/2026 14:52

Can’t believe there are people on here insisting that football is more important than innocent citizens getting shot in the streets by federal forces. Bloody hell makes me afraid for what they would presumably be happy to see happen here in the UK.

HRTQueen · 25/01/2026 15:23

Goldenbear · 25/01/2026 14:34

How are you measuring 'success' there?

There are lots of people that boycotted that world cup because they are not hypocrites.

Why have the World cup there at all, they don't even historically like football and now this!

I believe it had the most attended and highest viewing figures

EreWeGo · 25/01/2026 15:52

HappyFace2025 · 25/01/2026 10:10

100% agree. This World Cup is NOT the equivalent of the 1936 Olympics. I'm not aware of any countries boycotting the 1936 Olympics when Hitler was already Chancellor and Jews were being imprisoned simply for being Jewish and/or Communist. Know this for a fact as my uncle was imprisoned in Dachau in 1936.

Edited

That was because Hitler at that point was pretending he wasn’t doing what he was doing. Trump, however, is making his activities and plans clear.

Fodencat · 25/01/2026 15:56

This World Cup is going to have vibes of Berlin 1936…

MOntueslite · 25/01/2026 15:56

Even if half a dozen high profile players refuse to attend it would send a message.

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SerendipityJane · 25/01/2026 16:28

MissyB1 · 25/01/2026 14:52

Can’t believe there are people on here insisting that football is more important than innocent citizens getting shot in the streets by federal forces. Bloody hell makes me afraid for what they would presumably be happy to see happen here in the UK.

You're right - That's FIFAs job.

HappyFace2025 · 25/01/2026 16:33

EreWeGo · 25/01/2026 15:52

That was because Hitler at that point was pretending he wasn’t doing what he was doing. Trump, however, is making his activities and plans clear.

Hitler wasn't pretending at all in 1936.

AnyoneWhoHasAHeart · 25/01/2026 16:42

See for me this isn’t about sending some kind of message about us agreeing or not agreeing with what’s happening in the US. For me it goes deeper than that.

ATM the US isn’t safe.

Innocent people are literally being gunned down in the street. We don’t know how many at this point, we know there have been the two so far caught on camera but how many more?This needs to be about the safety of the players, the safety of the fans, and as things stand there are countries who will be playing behind closed doors anyway as there are already travel bans on those countries.

And then there is Trump.

Nobody is in any doubt as to the kind of hateful individual he is, but he’s almost being looked at as a comedic figure, and that is so incredibly dangerous. “Oh did you hear what Trump has said now,” is a common phrase, followed by hollow laughter and the assurance that of course he’ll backtrack, he always does.

Until he doesn[t.

It’s inevitable, but people are so busy just laughing at him that they’re sleep-walking their way towards it.

We need to declare the US the dangerous place that it is.

We need to have foreign office travel bans there.

And the World Cup will just be a part of that. Not for political reasons, but because the US needs to be a no-go zone full stop.

And trump needs to be stopped.

We need to start taking him seriously. Even if we know that most of the threats he makes will never become reality.

We need to be prepared for when they do. And strike first.

SerendipityJane · 25/01/2026 16:57

HappyFace2025 · 25/01/2026 16:33

Hitler wasn't pretending at all in 1936.

Jesse Owens was clear he was better treated by the Nazis than by his fellow citizens.

When Owens died his wife found in his jacket pocket a Postcard that he had carried all his life since The Berlin Olympics in 1936. He seemingly told her that Hitler had been summoned urgently to The Chancellery during a Medal Ceremony and thus missed presenting Jesse with his Gold Medal. To atone for this he sent a Staff Car and Chauffeur to The Stadium to bring Jesse back to meet him there for Coffee and Cream Cakes. Jesse was shown into Hitler’s Private Room with an Interpreter for about an hour with just the two of them and, the Interpreter present. Before leaving Jesse asked Hitler if he could have a signed photograph of The Fuhrer Hitler said of course and asked his adjutant to bring one which he signed and presented to Jesse. This was the photograph she now had in her hand. He had carried it all his life since The Olympics. When visiting famous places in Berlin during the Olympics Jesse said there were no places that he and fellow coloured athletes were banned from viewing. He was even taken into Hitlers favourite Hotel and photographed in The Fuhrer’s favourite chair. He remarked on the difference when returning to The USA. At a huge welcome home celebration in a huge Hotel where all the Athletes were appearing he and other coloured athletes were not allowed to enter through The Main Door. They had to enter through The Tradesman’s Entrance. What a difference from Berlin where they had been treated like

RainbowBagels · 25/01/2026 17:06

SerendipityJane · 25/01/2026 16:57

Jesse Owens was clear he was better treated by the Nazis than by his fellow citizens.

When Owens died his wife found in his jacket pocket a Postcard that he had carried all his life since The Berlin Olympics in 1936. He seemingly told her that Hitler had been summoned urgently to The Chancellery during a Medal Ceremony and thus missed presenting Jesse with his Gold Medal. To atone for this he sent a Staff Car and Chauffeur to The Stadium to bring Jesse back to meet him there for Coffee and Cream Cakes. Jesse was shown into Hitler’s Private Room with an Interpreter for about an hour with just the two of them and, the Interpreter present. Before leaving Jesse asked Hitler if he could have a signed photograph of The Fuhrer Hitler said of course and asked his adjutant to bring one which he signed and presented to Jesse. This was the photograph she now had in her hand. He had carried it all his life since The Olympics. When visiting famous places in Berlin during the Olympics Jesse said there were no places that he and fellow coloured athletes were banned from viewing. He was even taken into Hitlers favourite Hotel and photographed in The Fuhrer’s favourite chair. He remarked on the difference when returning to The USA. At a huge welcome home celebration in a huge Hotel where all the Athletes were appearing he and other coloured athletes were not allowed to enter through The Main Door. They had to enter through The Tradesman’s Entrance. What a difference from Berlin where they had been treated like

This is the story I remember.

Vodkamartini3olives · 25/01/2026 17:14

Octonaut4Life · 24/01/2026 20:02

I agree. The USA is not safe for the players or the fans. And we shouldn't be supporting a government that is murdering it's citizens in the streets with impunity.

Hundreds of Thousands of fans attend these venues every weekend they are perfectly safe.

MOntueslite · 25/01/2026 17:15

Vodkamartini3olives · 25/01/2026 17:14

Hundreds of Thousands of fans attend these venues every weekend they are perfectly safe.

Until the aren’t

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lljkk · 25/01/2026 17:23

I imagine tickets to WC games in North American have already been sold? People have already booked their hotels & flights.

There are enough American resident fans to fill the stadia in all the USA cities, anyway.

Boycott or not as you like. You won't see empty stadia and Trump does not care what International community thinks of him, anyway. He only cares if the stockmarkets dive and when people with some power (less than him) don't kiss his ass.