FIFA may be able to strip the US of the hosting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if a little-known contract clause is triggered ahead of the tournament.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, organisers will already be on the ground across the 16 host cities - Atlanta, Boston, Dallas/Arlington, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
However, there have been some calls, from MPs, members of the media and fans for the US to be stripped of the hosting rights due to the current political climate under Donald Trump’s presidency.
In January, a group of 23 UK MPs signed a motion calling on international sporting bodies to consider expelling the US from major competitions, including the World Cup.
Advert
This is highly unlikely given the power the nation has in the sporting world, as well as the fact that they are the main co-host of the tournament.
Since assuming office in January 2025, Trump has caused controversy both in the US and abroad.
In January, two US citizens – Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good – were shot dead by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which caused widespread outrage.
Meanwhile, also in January, Trump asked Denmark to hand the autonomous territory of Greenland over to the US for what he described as security purposes.
When several European allies rejected this, he threatened them with increased 25 percent trade tariffs, but the 79-year-old has since backtracked on the comments.
Despite wanting to annex Greenland, Trump has insisted that the US will not use force.
Iran and the US have also become embroiled in tensions following the killing of thousands of protestors in the Asian nation after citizens took to the streets to protest about the poor economic state of the country in late December.
Trump and the Iranian authorities have fired back and forth since the protests, with the US president even urging protestors to carry on.
The US has also taken military action in Venezuela, resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Can FIFA strip the US of World Cup hosting rights?
Concerns and suggestions of the US being stripped of hosting rights will continue to be voiced ahead of the tournament, but is this realistic, and do FIFA have the power to do so?
Technically, yes, but such an impactful decision this close to a tournament will not come without issues.
According to the 2026 FIFA World Cup regulations, FIFA has the right to “cancel, reschedule or relocate one or more matches (or the entire FIFA World Cup 26) for any reason at its sole discretion, including as a result of force majeure or due to health, safety or security concerns”.
Force majeure is defined as an event such as war, crime or any other unforeseen circumstance which prevents someone or an organisation from doing something written in a legal agreement.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law at the University of Melbourne, explained how the US being stripped of the hosting rights is “unlikely” but still possible.
Anderson explained: “It is unlikely that FIFA – the organisation that awarded its first global peace prize to Trump – would strip the US of its hosting rights. It would likely take an extreme turn of events for that to happen.”
He then added that “under the contracts in place, FIFA has broad powers to unilaterally terminate the arrangement with the host country and city”, but only if they could justify an ‘extraordinary’ ground of termination.
“It would under the contract be very difficult for the US to challenge a FIFA termination, but equally, it is very unlikely that FIFA would strip the most powerful economy in the world of its hosting rights, as this would have long-term diplomatic and economic impact for FIFA,” he continued.
Anderson then explained how grounds for termination would usually be related to finances and infrastructure, such as stadiums.
The professor then revealed that a typical contract ahead of such an event may include a “force majeure clause” which may cover “any event which is not within the reasonable control of either party, including any natural disasters and adverse weather conditions - such as flood, earthquake, storm or hurricane - or fire, war, invasion, hostilities - regardless of whether war is declared - civil war, rebellion, riot, revolution, insurrection, military coup, act of terrorists or other public enemies, nationalisation, confiscation, sanctions, boycott of the competition or otherwise and other adverse acts imposed by the Government and other governmental authorities, blockage, embargo, labour dispute, strike or lockout”.
If a force majeure event occurs, usually both parties can walk away from contractual agreements and make alternative arrangements, such as moving the location of a tournament.
It must be noted that there’s nothing to suggest FIFA will strip the US of the tournament’s hosting rights.
SPORTbible has contacted FIFA for comment.
Topics: Donald Trump, FIFA, FIFA World Cup, Football, USA, Spotlight
Luke Davies