NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump said he would consider relocating 2026 World Cup matches from cities he did not deem safe, months before the United States is set to co-host the quadrennial football showcase with Canada and Mexico.
Eleven US cities are set to welcome matches, including the final in New York/New Jersey, for the largest-ever edition of the tournament.
Asked about moving matches from cities that do not cooperate with his immigration and crime initiatives, Trump said that was on the table during remarks made in the Oval Office on Thursday.
“If I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it into a different city,” said Trump, who is a Republican.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump would have that authority. AFP has contacted FIFA for comment.
An AFP reporter at the Oval Office briefing cited two cities - democratically controlled San Francisco and Seattle - as possible targets for having World Cup hosting duties revoked.
AFP has contacted the host committees for both cities for comment.
Trump sent hundreds of troops into the Democrat-led US capital earlier this year to support a federal crackdown on what he called a crime epidemic.
The depiction runs counter to available data that shows crime rates, overall, have declined in recent years.
The US president has repeatedly thrust himself into the sports spotlight during his second term, announcing last month that the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington will host the 2026 World Cup draw.
Trump was set to attend the first day of golf’s Ryder Cup competition on Long Island, a Republican stronghold, on Friday.