German FA board doubles-down on refusal to discuss potential 2026 boycott

February 2 – Following a board meeting, the German FA (DFB) has ruled out a boycott of the 2026 World Cup, a potential pathway that had been raised by DFB vice-president and St Pauli chairmain Oke Göttlich following the growing transatlantic tensions prompted by the policies of US president Donald Trump.

In language echoing FIFA and Gianni Infantino, the DFB said in a statement: “We believe in the unifying power of sport and the global impact that a Fifa World Cup can have. Our goal is to strengthen this positive force – not to prevent it.

“A boycott of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada is currently not an issue, as already publicly explained by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf. The DFB is in exchange with representatives from politics, security, business and sports in preparation for the tournament.”

Last week Neuendorf dismissed the idea of a boycott, saying that Göttlich was still new to the German FA and that a debate was “ill-timed”. In December, Neuendorf, a FIFA Council member earning $250,000 a year from the role, had also defended FIFA’s peace prize, handed to Trump at the World Cup draw, by referring to the unifying power that, in his view, football and FIFA provide. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has championed Trump and the politics of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the media and politicians in Germany debated boycotting the event over the host country’s treatment of migrant workers, but the DFB at the time also ruled out a boycott. At the tournament, the German team posed with their hands over their mouths before the Japan match to protest against FIFA, which threatened sanctions against players wearing armbands in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Following the 2022 tournament in the Gulf, Germany, led by Neuendorf, has refrained from taking principled positions – either on the human rights issues tied to the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia or on a potential boycott of the 2026 World Cup in the US.

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