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21st January 2026
10:37am GMT
European football leaders would consider boycotting the 2026 World Cup if Donald Trump moves to annex Greenland, according to a new report from The Guardian.
The US political leader has ramped up threats of a potential invasion in recent weeks, after suggesting that the island is essential for his country's national security.
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This week, when asked how far the USA would be prepared to go to acquire Greenland, Trump responded: "You'll find out."
Greenland is an autonomous territory, that is under the protection and stewardship of the Kingdom of Denmark, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), of which the USA is also a signatory.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, recently described the situation in stark terms, saying: “If the United States decides to militarily attack another Nato country, then everything would stop – that includes Nato and therefore post-second world war security.” [Danish television network TV2]
While European national leaders have spent recent weeks debating a political response —whether via diplomacy or military means — to Trump's suggestions, the region's football leaders have now begun to discuss how best to send a message to the 47th US President.
The Guardian report that, during an event organised to celebrate the Hungarian football federation’s 125th anniversary in Budapest on Monday, figures at the head of 20 of Europe's football federations took time for a discussion on what European nations might do in light of an escalation in Greenland.
Per that report: "Some senior figures believe military aggression to take Greenland, which Trump has refused to rule out, would be the tipping point for a Uefa-led boycott or other major steps in protest at the US administration."
Trump has become the face of the June tournament, where his country will host 78 World Cup matches, and the absence of European countries — who have won 12 past tournaments, more than any other continent — would significantly reduce interest.
Whilst this is still seen as an unlikely circumstance at this point, negotiations look set to continue over coming weeks, with Uefa reportedly considering recognising Greenland as a Uefa member at their next formal meeting in Brussels on 11 February 2026.
