Trump Threatens to Move FIFA World Cup Matches From Seattle

The 2026 FIFA World Cup games could be moved out of Seattle if the federal government finds the city lacking in security, President Donald Trump said during a Nov. 17 press conference with the White House task force that’s overseeing the sporting event.

“If we think there’s going to be the sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city. We have a lot of cities that would love to have it, number one, and we’ll do it very safely,” Trump said, referring to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was standing beside the president.

“We’re going to move the event to some place where it’s going to be appreciated and safe.”

The World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19 and will be hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

In the United States, games are scheduled in 11 locations—Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City-New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the current schedule, Seattle is set to host six World Cup games.

Speaking at the Oval Office in September, Trump had said that the games could be moved from some cities if there were ongoing safety concerns.

“We’re going to make sure they’re safe. … If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup or for the Olympics … but for the World Cup in particular, because they’re playing in so many cities, we won’t allow it,” he said at the time.

According to data from the Seattle Police Department, there have been 4,400 violent crime incidents in the city in 2025 as of Nov. 16. For the entirety of last year, there were 5,414 violent crimes in Seattle.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, outgoing Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell highlighted the city’s safety.

“Violent crime is down 20 percent in Seattle,” he said. “We are making record-breaking progress on police hiring with nearly 130 officers hired this year.”

On Nov. 13, Harrell conceded the mayoral race to self-described socialist Katie Wilson. Speaking after her mayoral victory, Wilson called for universal child care, more community control over land and wealth, and expanded mass transit. She said working people were “ready for something new, something more hopeful and just and equitable.”

In his Nov. 17 press conference, Trump characterized Wilson as a “very, very liberal slash communist mayor.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Katie Wilson’s campaign team for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.

Human Rights, Game Safety

The scheduling of FIFA World Cup games in the United States has faced criticism.

In a May 5 letter to Infantino, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had “grave concerns” about the impact of U.S. immigration policies on the games.

“Since its return to office, the administration of President Donald Trump has implemented or is planning policies that fundamentally undermine the inclusive spirit of the World Cup and the non-discrimination policies under FIFA’s Statutes,” the letter said.

Football fans from many nations could be barred from entering the United States, HRW said, adding that other restrictions could lead to “prohibitively long visa wait times” for citizens of certain nations, making it very difficult for them to attend the event.

At the Nov. 17 press conference, Infantino said people today trust the United States, with “record-breaking” ticket sales at almost 2 million.

“This is because people, they know that they will be coming here and they will experience a safe and secure World Cup. This is the responsibility, of course, of the government, of Secretary Noem, of everyone,” the FIFA president said.

“And obviously, we will discuss, we are working together, we have a task force for this. And we must ensure that all fans coming from abroad who are being here, they can experience a celebration of coming together, of the sport, and this goes only with 100 percent safety.”

Infantino called the United States the “number one country in the world.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was working to make sure fans can “travel here safely,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.

The 11 host cities have been provided with more than $600 million in grants that can be used for security measures such as screening and drone technologies, she said.

Noem clarified they will be “making sure the people that come in on these tourist visas are coming in thoroughly vetted, just like anyone who would travel here. And they would come and enjoy our country, and then they would go home, and go home in a timely manner.”

The Trump administration plans to set up a prioritized scheduling system that will allow foreign World Cup attendees to get their visa interviews sooner than the average visa holder.

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department has deployed more than 400 additional consular offices globally to process visas for foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States for the World Cup. In around 80 percent of the world, a visa appointment can be held within 60 days, he said.

FIFA expects five to 10 million international fans to visit the United States for the World Cup.