A World Cup boycott over Trump? Football’s hypotheticals cannot be dismissed any more

Unprecedented times call for previously unthinkable conversations when it comes to the US-shaped problem

US President Donald Trump is presented with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize award. Pic: Sam Corum/PA

Could European countries really decide to boycott the World Cup this summer? It is an astonishing question to be asking in 2026 and an indictment of the bind in which, as Donald Trump sows confusion around a potential annexation of Greenland, the world’s most popular sport finds itself. 

But the idea is at least seeping into the mainstream and senior figures are asking what, in a worst-case scenario, it would take for football to meet the moment.