this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2026
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Calls are growing on social media for international soccer fans to boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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[–] obinice@lemmy.world 8 points 12 hours ago

We're a bit ahead of schedule if we're trying to repeat the past 100 years on, no?

The Berlin Olympics weren't until 1936, we've got another 10 years still!

[–] sness@sh.itjust.works 5 points 13 hours ago

Should boycott everything FIFA anyway.

[–] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

No sports but war instead, unfortunately.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 21 hours ago
[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 42 points 1 day ago

Boycott ALL international sports events in America or Russia. They don't deserve the attention or the economic boost.

[–] Bullerfar@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If People from outsite us seriously are attending this event, I loose all hope in humanity. Attending in Mexico or Canada is fine. But don't cross any boarders to the usa.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just like all the events with the Saudis, in Qatar, the Winter Olympics in Russia, etc.

Rich people will attend no matter what.

[–] Zexks@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not just rich people. The world cup in quatar proved that.

[–] reddit_sux@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago

Qatar World Cup could be considered different as it was not being overtly anti tourist even though there were restrictions on them. They were welcoming as opposed to whatever US is trying to do.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I live in one of the most popular tourist spots in the world, and I don't know why anyone from any country would visit America right now. It's a big world, go somewhere nice.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 6 points 13 hours ago

Hell if you want to go to a dictatorship fucking turkey is right there. Go see the remains of the Tomb of Halicarnassus, explore Istanbul, check out the ruins of the ancient Hittites. Better than pissing about New York or getting mauled by Death Valley if you're German.

[–] BoycottTwitter@lemmy.zip 56 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I really hope the stadiums are totally empty. We must not repeat the mistakes of the 1936 Olympics. Boycott the world cup and also boycott all their sponsors and advertisers and demand they pull their ads and stop funding FIFA which is a totally corrupt organization.

[–] tessa@lemmy.zip 3 points 12 hours ago

No one should come here and it's not safe for you anyway. Please boycott us.

[–] Bullerfar@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Or FIFA Russia 2018.. (after the Krim annexation.)

[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 16 points 1 day ago

In a just world, this party would be considered so radioactive it would be Business 101 to lock the door in their face and make sure it's VERY clear you'd never serve their interests. To deal with them at all should risk being marked a traitor and shunned.

Anybody who identifies with these bullies and thugs needs to have the privilege of watching that little red line plummet in real time.

[–] MrTrono@lemmy.world 223 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Our government is currently murdering citizens and disappearing brown people. Literally, why would anybody come here. My advice to everybody is that it's not worth the risk.

[–] nothingcorporate@lemmy.today 71 points 1 day ago (3 children)

If people watched the Qatar World Cup where they literally killed thousands of slaves to build the soccer stadiums, only to say that the US is too bad for them to deal with... You know things are getting rough.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 3 points 16 hours ago

I don't follow soccer (can you tell?) so I didn't know anything about that.

this quote stands out to me:

He's one of what Qatari authorities say is hundreds — and human rights investigators say is thousands — of World Cup workers who died there.

...if the Qatari authorities are admitting to hundreds of dead workers, you know something is up, because that number is already too high

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/12/02/1140260086/the-world-cup-has-taken-a-toll-on-the-migrant-workers-who-made-it-possible

[–] Bullerfar@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Didn't watch Qatar either. Neither did majority of football fans. The problem is, that is not why fifa chooses these fucked up nations to host football. If it was about tickets, then it would always be in Europe. This is about power and money.

[–] markko@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Neither did majority of football fans

This is unfortunately not true. Qatar had record numbers for attendance and viewership - average attendance was 96.3% of stadium capacity, with 5 billion total viewers worldwide.

There was a tiny dip in numbers for 2018 compared with 2014, but they were still very high.

I don't think there's much chance of it being any different next year sadly.

[–] Bullerfar@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago

Did you not see the attendances?? 80% of the stadiums in Qatar 90% of the time were fucking white-skirtet saudis.. Non of which gave a shit about ball. You can't rely on those numbers. I am not Saying there wasn't a lot of tourists. I am pretty sure there was. But I also know they didn't sell much for danish football fans atleast. Which would had been sold out, if the event was en Europe. Even south Afrika, were sold out by fans.

[–] luciferofastora@feddit.org 14 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Didn't watch Qatar either. Breaks my heart a little more every time I think about all the shit FIFA is endorsing, because I used to love watching world cups, but the more I become aware of the sheer corruption around it, the more it taints those sweet memories with a bitter aftertaste.

Why the fuck does greed have to ruin everything.

[–] timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 3 points 16 hours ago

Didn't watch either but honestly most people don't care enough to stomach even a little pain.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I did not just very purposefully refrained from watching Qatar, I actually started boycotting sponsors - such as Coca Cola - from then onward.

Mind you, thanks to Trump since I've expanded that boycott to cover all American products and companies.

[–] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 139 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I can’t imagine why the average football fan would risk going to the USA from another country right now. Even if they’re straight, white, Christian males.

Go to Mexico or Canada sure. But a fascist country with a stated goal of ethnic cleansing?

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 101 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

You're over-estimating the intelligence and political engagement of the average football fan.

[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (7 children)

I didn't think footballs were capable of either?

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[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 9 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I think its not even the average football fan.

The peaceful suburbanite psyche of the average 'western' person hasn't been penetrated yet, even with all thats happened. Thats in large part due to the media, and how they don't cover the increasingly serious corruption, murders, and traitors.

A great current example is the sentencing and jailing of that national traitor from Reform UK. It caused barely a blip in the media, just phenomenal there wasn't a classic british media circus around it, so phenomenal I find it suspicious.


But its surely more than the media, maybe willful ignorance? Simple lack of care, a sort of "thats their business, not mine" attitude? I don't know, human behaviour is weird when it comes to inconvenience.

So much of this world seems to run on whatever is most convenient, (to be read as least mentally taxing), for the person in the decision makers position at the time. Be it a president, local cop, lawyer, teacher, or any other authority position, it always comes down to was it easier for that person to make that decision, or this decision.

Importantly, i think its the making of a decision not the outcomes of said decisions. So the easy decision could lead to harder to manage outcomes, but the decision maker at the time found that decision easiest to process as opposed a more complex option as the decision to go with.

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[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Obsessive fans wait 4 years for this, and the last World Cup showed that those idiots will spend thousands to visit your country, even if it’s doing some terrible things.

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[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 98 points 1 day ago (2 children)

American here. Don't come see us right now. Our place is a fucking mess and we really need to clean up, and it's gonna be a long, long time before we're ready for visitors.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 21 hours ago

Our transportation will be fucked as well

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[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 38 points 1 day ago (1 children)

FIFA is getting a lot of good out of that peace prize.

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[–] echodot@feddit.uk 29 points 1 day ago

It's not that I'm boycotting FIFA as much as I'm just not going to the US because I'm not a self-destructive idiot with a death wish.

[–] slothrop@lemmy.ca 70 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The teams should boycott.
Begin with Spain and Brazil.

[–] demonsword@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

and Brazil

Yeah, we should, but money talks :(

[–] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So does being locked out of international tournaments.

That said, if the six or seven really big footballing associations did, that’d fuck the whole tournament. That’d probably work to some degree.

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

All the countries with big populations should pull out and the cup can be decided between the vatican and Andorra

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[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago

It's not about the attendees boycotting, since they are already with their heads in their asses, and rich enough to spent their money on this. It's the hosts who can boycott the shit out of this corrupt event. But be careful, in 1968, in Mexico, the students threatened to boycott the Olympic Games and got massacred, which brought the Dirty War period of the government against dissident citizens. I can see this happening to America during this period of relentless imperial fall.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 38 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Save yourselves, don't visit America. We may have to live in hell but you don't have to.

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[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 38 points 1 day ago (11 children)

I would be genuinely shocked if FIFA notices or feels any impact. Qatar was a huge success for them regardless of their country’s issues.

[–] felixthecat@fedia.io 2 points 6 hours ago

Yep. If people didn't boycott for literal slavery and terrible working conditions used to build the stadium in Qatar they won't boycott the USA.

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[–] manuallybreathing@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

The USA govt will just buy the tickets and pay people to go and cheer for the dictator, ya know, the thing they always claim happens in the enemy countries

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