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26th September 2025
01:42pm BST
American President Donald Trump has responded to fears over fan safety at next summer's World Cup by announcing he's prepared to rearrange fixtures scheduled in places he regards as "unsafe cities."
The 2026 World Cup, widely regarded as the biggest sporting competition on earth, will be hosted by the trio of Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
Trump's US are responsible for hosting the lion's share of the matches, as some 78 of the 104 fixtures will take place across eleven American cities.
Trump spoke with reporters at the Oval Office earlier today, where he was asked about next summer's tournament.
He said: "It will be safe for the World Cup. If I think it isn't safe, we'll move it into a different city.
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"If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, or for the Olympics, but for the World Cup in particular, because they're playing in so many cities, we won't allow it to go. We'll move it around a little bit."
Trump then went on two single out two cities, claiming that Seattle and San Francisco are “run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing”.
Any final decision on changes to host cities would have to be made by football's global governing body, Fifa.
Potential issues between Fifa and Trump are expected to be ironed out relatively easily however, thanks to the strong relationship the 79-year-old Republican leader has with the current Fifa President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino attended the Oval office early this summer, where he presented Trump with the original version of the inaugural Club World Cup trophy as a gift.
The tournament's winners Chelsea were reportedly given a replica.
The 11 American host cities of the World Cup are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
Amongst the list are a number of "Democratic strongholds" which Trump has previously implied are amongst the most dangerous in the country.
Despite latest figures indicating a fall in crime, the US leader opted to send National Guard troops and federal officers into Washington DC last month.
In June he also sent 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles.
With the World Cup scheduled to run from the 11th of June to 19th July 2026, any changes will have to be confirmed in the coming months.
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