Dutch FA Issue Statement on Boycotting 2026 World Cup Over Donald Trump

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) have issued a statement on the issue of potentially boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The tournament is set to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

Fans from four qualified nations - Iran, Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast - will not be allowed to travel to the US as their respective countries are on either a full or partial ban list introduced by President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration have also suspended immigrant visa processing for 75 different nations worldwide, though travel visas are exempt.

Rising political tensions involving the United States have caused concern across Europe - in particular Trump's intention to capture Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

There has been significant pushback on those plans by many European leaders, with The Guardian reporting that some nations could consider boycotting the World Cup if the annexation of Greenland takes place.

US President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino pictured (Image: Getty)

The report claimed that the heads of 20 football associations held talks in Budapest earlier this week, with 'the implications for the World Cup this summer' part of the agenda.

However, it is added that FIFA's leadership are thought to deem the prospect of any form of boycott 'unlikely'.

In an interview published on the Dutch FA's official website, KNVB secretary general Gijs de Jong has stated that, while the KNVB is 'aware of geopolitical developments' in the United States, the association's decisions will ultimately be guided by final advice from FIFA, UEFA and the Dutch national government.

"We live in a rapidly changing world," De Jong states. "Therefore, we closely monitor international developments, in consultation with FIFA, UEFA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and local embassies.

"We are alert and flexible, just as we have been in the past with tournaments.

"As a football association, our first priority is that players and staff can fully focus on football and their World Cup mission.

"As a football association, we focus on the World Cup and on our values: dialogue, connection, and innovation, even when circumstances differ from those in the Netherlands.

"It is up to the Dutch government to determine its position on international political developments. By continuing to play football and engage in dialogue, we link our progressive stance to our values, convinced that football can unite.

"We always follow the guidelines of the Dutch government and those of FIFA and UEFA. If they indicate that travel to or playing in a certain region is not permitted, we do not go.

"Within that framework, we stick to what is central to us: football, dialogue and connection. We are socially conscious."