Could FIFA legally remove the US as World Cup host?

February 4, 2026 Oliver Obel

As preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup continue across North America, speculation has surfaced over whether political turmoil could ever threaten the United States’ position as the tournament’s primary host.

From a legal perspective, FIFA does retain the authority to intervene. In practical terms, however, exercising that power against the United States would require circumstances far beyond anything currently taking shape.

What FIFA’s regulations allow

According to reporting by SPORTbible, FIFA’s World Cup regulations give the governing body broad discretion to cancel, relocate or reschedule matches including, in theory, the entire tournament if it determines that safety, security or public order cannot be guaranteed.

These provisions are rooted in force majeure clauses, a standard feature of major international sporting contracts. They are designed to address events outside an organiser’s control, such as armed conflict, large-scale civil unrest, natural disasters or government actions that make hosting unworkable.

The 2026 tournament will be jointly staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the majority of matches scheduled for US cities. There is no indication that FIFA is reviewing those arrangements.

Political pressure without formal consequences

Political criticism has increased since Donald Trump returned to the US presidency in January 2025. That month, 23 UK Members of Parliament signed a parliamentary motion urging international sporting bodies to consider whether the United States should continue to host major events, including the World Cup.

The motion reflected broader concern among some politicians, commentators and fans about US domestic and foreign policy. Critics have cited a range of recent controversies, though none have resulted in any formal process within FIFA.

At present, the debate remains political rather than procedural.

Why stripping hosting rights would be extraordinary

Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law at the University of Melbourne, told SPORTbible that while FIFA’s contractual powers are extensive on paper, using them to remove the United States as host would be highly unlikely.

“It is unlikely that FIFA the organisation that awarded its first global peace prize to Trump would strip the US of its hosting rights,” Anderson said. “It would likely take an extreme turn of events for that to happen.”

He noted that termination clauses are more commonly linked to failures in infrastructure, financing or tournament delivery, rather than political disputes. Even where legal justification exists, wider consequences still apply.

Removing the world’s largest economy as a host during the final stages of preparation would expose FIFA to significant diplomatic strain and commercial risk, making such a decision improbable in practice.

Preparations move forward

For now, planning continues across the 16 host cities in North America, with US venues including New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami central to FIFA’s plans for the expanded 48-team competition.

SPORTbible reported that FIFA has been contacted for comment, but no response has been received. There is currently nothing to suggest the governing body is considering a change to the tournament’s hosting structure.

Sources: SPORTbible