A German politician has suggested that boycotting the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico could be a “last resort” in response to Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland.
US President Donald Trump believes his country needs to acquire Greenland, the world's largest island, for national security reasons.
The demands have been rejected by Greenland's leaders and by Nato member Denmark, of which the island is a semi-autonomous territory. Trump, meanwhile, has not ruled out using military force.
In fact, Trump recently threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not “go along” with his plan to annex Greenland. "We need Greenland for national security,” he added.
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Amid the ongoing controversy, the US are preparing to host this summer's World Cup, although experts warn that the participation of several countries could be jeopardised as a result of escalating political and military tensions.
That's according to a report from BILD, which spoke to politician Jurgen Hardt (CDU), an experienced member of the Christian Democratic Union and 'confidant' of the Chancellor, regarding Germany's World Cup participation.
In comments made to the German newspaper, Hardt said a boycott would be in response to Trump's threats against Greenland.
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"Dropping out of the tournament would, however, only be considered as a last resort in order to get Trump to see sense on the Greenland issue," he said, before pointing out that Trump has made it clear "how important the World Cup is to him."
The report states that Hardt is the first top politician to suggest the word 'boycott'.
The 62-year-old also expressed his "confidence that we will reach a better common understanding of security within NATO regarding the Greenland issue."
Since it was founded in 1930, Germany has missed just two World Cups. They did not enter the inaugural 1930 tournament, and were excluded from the 1950 edition following World War II.
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Away from football and West Germany boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, joining the protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Topics: Germany, FIFA World Cup, Donald Trump
Jack Kenmare