As many as 50,000 Argentinians attended the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, when Argentina won the championship. In 2026, one of the favorites will be Brazil. And no doubt thousands of Brazilians will want to attend World Cup matches to cheer on their countrymen.
Does anyone really think it’s a good idea for them to come to the United States? Seriously?
Now is the time for FIFA to do the right thing for fans and athletes and move the 2026 World Cup out of the U.S. And looking ahead to 2028, the IOC should relocate the Olympics out of Los Angeles as well, to a country where athletes and attendees will be safe.
Think about it. As we speak, Trump is basking in the aftermath of a bombing attack on Iran, an act that could lead to all-out war. Talk of terrorists cells in the U.S. make the World Cup and Olympics prime targets for attacks.
In the meantime, the Trump regime is employing an SS-like force of masked men with no apparent guardrails using military equipment to attack civilians in Los Angeles. Trump has called up National Guard troops in defiance of California’s own governor, Gavin Newsom, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is preparing to deploy Marines on the streets of L.A.
This is a war being conducted by the Trump regime. There is no freedom of assembly, of speech, of the press in this country right now. Indeed, a reporter was shot yesterday. People are not safe on the streets. No matter where they come from.
Yes, it’s possible all of this will be over by the time those international sporting events arrive. But what we’ve seen in the first five months of this regime is an authoritarian takeover of government. That takeover is not complete and there is every reason to believe it will continue for the foreseeable future as Americans risk their lives to take to the streets in protest.
Fans and athletes shouldn’t have to risk their lives, too. Does anyone really trust ICE to treat visitors as guests in our country? To show restraint?
ICE, the American equivalent of the Nazi SS force, has done none of that to date.
Remember the Berlin Games of 1936? Remember how Hitler used the Olympics for Nazi propaganda and to gain appeasement from the world? Remember how that played out?
The world shouldn’t make the same mistake again.
The 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games were awarded to the U.S. during Trump’s first administration, when there was every reason to believe he would be long gone from public office and no longer a threat to the world. But he is back and now he is not only threatening his own citizens, Trump has put the U.S. in the middle of a war. Former allies Canada, Greenland and Panama are in his crosshairs as well.
The world is at risk.
Given the logistics of holding these massive sporting events, it’s a mistake to wait and see how hostilities play out in the U.S. The World Cup and Olympics should be relocated immediately so there is time to prepare for them. Fortunately, Mexico and Canada are already scheduled to host some World Cup games. Those countries are far safer for athletes and fans and should be awarded all games.
Paris, which hosted the 2024 Games, may be able to host again in 2028. But the French will need to begin preparations right away if they are to be ready.
Now is not the time for fun and games in the U.S. Be they the World Cup or Olympic Games.
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