Claims that European nations are preparing a coordinated boycott of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Greenland rhetoric have circulated widely, but as of late January 2026 there is no credible confirmation that UEFA, national teams or major football associations are planning to pull out of the tournament.
The dispute stems from Trump’s renewed and controversial public push for U.S. control or influence over Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, including statements about its strategic importance and threats of economic measures against European allies that oppose his position. While some political figures and commentators in Europe have floated the idea of leveraging global events as leverage in geopolitical disputes, these have not translated into formal sports-level decisions.
In Germany, a member of the Christian Democratic Union suggested that a boycott could be considered as a “last resort” to signal political displeasure over the Greenland issue, but this was an individual comment and not an official stance by the German Football Federation or UEFA.
In France, Sports Minister Marina Ferrari has explicitly stated that her government is not currently planning to boycott the 2026 World Cup, stressing the importance of keeping sports separate from political disputes even amid diplomatic tensions. She did not rule out the possibility of future reassessment, but for now France intends to participate normally in the tournament.
There are also media reports of informal discussions among European football leaders about how to respond politically to Trump’s Greenland statements, but these do not constitute any formal threat or organized plan to boycott the World Cup. Sporting authorities such as FIFA, UEFA, and national associations retain independent control over participation, and no formal withdrawals have been announced.
At the same time, broader public debate and political commentary, including opinion pieces and statements from individual MPs, have amplified the idea of using major international events to send diplomatic signals. These remain speculative and outside official sport governance processes at this stage.
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