A decision has been made on whether Germany will compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup amid calls for a boycott of the tournament.
The World Cup, which will take place across the US, Mexico and Canada between June 11 and July 19, is just 131 days from starting.
And what is usually a celebration of football uniting nations from around the globe is currently shrouded in controversy.
Most of the issues, in some way, relate to Donald Trump and his administration’s immigration and foreign policy, with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers shooting dead two US citizens in Minneapolis in January.
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From some quarters, there have been calls for the US to be stripped of the hosting rights, while several fan associations have suggested boycotting the tournament.
When speaking to Morgen Post, president of Bundesliga side St. Pauli, Oke Gottlich, suggested that the “time has come” to “consider and discuss” a boycott.
But the German soccer federation’s president, Bernd Neuendorf, said this was Gottlich’s opinion, which he described as being “misguided” and not representative of the German federation.
Earlier on Saturday (January 31), Germany’s football federation, the DFB, stated whether the national side would be taking part in the 2026 World Cup, after the Presidential Board held a meeting regarding the controversial subject.
“The DFB Presidential Board is united in its view that debates around political and sporting matters should be conducted internally rather than in public,” the statement read.
“As DFB President Bernd Neuendorf has already stated, a boycott of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada is not currently being considered. Preparations for the tournament are ongoing, with regular dialogue taking place between the DFB and representatives from politics, security, business and sport.
“We believe in the unifying power of football and in the global impact a World Cup can have. Our goal is to harness and strengthen this positive force, not to prevent it.
“This summer, we want to compete in a fair and open tournament alongside the other qualified nations. We want fans around the world – in the stadiums and at fan zones – to enjoy a peaceful celebration of football, just as we experienced at UEFA EURO 2024 on home soil.”
Alongside a potential boycott of the tournament, there have also been some suggestions that the US could exclude nations from the tournament, such as Iran, with the nations' governments issuing threats towards one another in recent weeks after thousands of Iranian protesters were killed after taking to the streets about the poor state of the country’s economy.
However, according to Professor Simon Chadwick, who has previously acted as an advisor to FIFA and Barcelona, the US government do not hold such powers to exclude a nation, with the final decision down to FIFA.
Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, Chadwick said: “World Cup now has nothing to do with the United States. That's the territory we're in. Because once you get into a World Cup year, the organisation and delivery of a World Cup transfers to FIFA. So FIFA officials right now will be on the ground. They'll be on the ground working on security issues.
“They'll be on the ground working on sponsorships and partnerships. They'll be on the ground dealing with broadcasting and media content. So it is part of FIFA's rules that if you become an event host, at some point, the host nation steps aside and FIFA comes in and runs the event.
“So this is a FIFA decision, ultimately. It's not a United States decision. It's not a British government decision. It's not a football fan decision. This is a FIFA decision.”
It must be noted that there’s no suggestion that FIFA will exclude any nation, including Iran, from the 2026 World Cup.
SPORTbible has contacted FIFA for comment.
Topics: Germany, FIFA, Donald Trump, Football, FIFA Club World Cup
Luke Davies