FIFA has issued a public warning to US President Donald Trump over the 2026 World Cup.
The tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, with 48 teams set to travel for the competition.
Last week, Trump suggested that he might declare some host cities "not safe" for the tournament and hinted that he could attempt to alter the scheduled fixtures.
With the 11 US host cities already confirmed, making any significant changes just eight months before it starts would be a logistical nightmare.
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FIFA has now responded through its vice-president Victor Montagliani, who is also the president of CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America as well as the Caribbean.
Montagliani said: “It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions.
“With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans.
"That's the beauty of our game, that it is bigger than any individual and bigger than any country."
He also addressed ongoing discussions about Israel and whether the country should be suspended from international competitions due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Montagliani stressed that the decision lies with UEFA, Europe's governing body, rather than with FIFA.
He added: "First of all, Israel is a member of UEFA, and it's no different than if I had to deal with a member of my own region.
"It's a UEFA decision. Israel is their member, and they have to deal with it.
"I respect not only the process, but also their decision."
Looking beyond next summer's World Cup, Montagliani also weighed in on reports surrounding the 2030 tournament.
There will be 48 teams that travel to North America for the tournament next summer.
The South American governing body CONMEBOL has suggested expanding the tournament to 64 teams to mark the centenary of the competition.
“I don’t see the argument for 64 teams,” Montagliani said.
“It’s not just us but UEFA and Asia who are opposed to that. But the Club World Cup was a massive success.
"We need to work out what’s feasible, what changes we need to make about the number of teams and the caps on each country we had for this year."
The 2026 World Cup will be the second successive summer in which the USA hosts a major global football competition, following this year's Club World Cup.
Extreme heat caused serious problems during that tournament, and now UEFA may schedule World Cup games after midnight UK time to avoid that issue.
Although European nations requested early kick-off times to suit broadcasters, concerns over the players' well-being may override those plans.
Topics: FIFA, Donald Trump, Football, FIFA World Cup, Football World Cup
James Taylor