The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Amid the actions of US President Donald Trump, calls for a boycott of the 2026 World Cup are growing louder in Germany and across Europe.
Ole Göttlich (50), Vice President of the German Football Association (DFB) and President of FC St. Pauli, has called for an open debate on the possibility of boycotting the World Cup over Trump’s conduct.
(Note: The media article does not specify the exact actions, but they clearly refer to Trump’s recent statements on Greenland and tariff threats against several European countries.)
He stated: “I really want to know when the time has come to seriously consider and discuss this issue. In my view, the time is now.”
The official drew a historical parallel: “What were the reasons for boycotting the Olympic Games in the 1980s? In my opinion, the potential threats today are greater than they were then. We must have this discussion.”
Göttlich also rejected the argument that a boycott would harm players. St. Pauli has three potential World Cup participants: Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe (both Australia) and Junya Chima Fujita (Japan).
Nevertheless, Göttlich stated unequivocally: “The lives of professional footballers are not more important than the lives of countless people around the world who are being directly or indirectly attacked or threatened by the host of the World Cup.”
As a member of the executive committees of the DFB and the German Football League (DFL), Göttlich has not shied away from clashing with the most powerful figures in world football – including DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
He accused: “The Qatar World Cup was too political for everyone, but now we’re not talking about politics at all?! This really, really, really bothers me.”
He also said the football world is losing its principles: “As organisations and as a society, we are forgetting how to set bottom lines and boundaries, and how to defend values. Bottom lines are an important part of upholding principles.”
He posed a question to football’s top brass: “Is the bottom line crossed when someone threatens others? When someone attacks others? When people die as a result?”
He went on: “I want to know where Donald Trump’s bottom line is. I also want to know what Bernd Neuendorf’s and Gianni Infantino’s bottom lines are.”
