Trump suggests moving World Cup games out of Seattle, but could he really do it?

President Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters he would consider moving 2026 World Cup games out of cities he deemed unsafe.

The comments came after a reporter asked him about host cities that are resisting his immigration and crime initiatives.

Trump responded that Democratic-led places like Seattle and San Francisco would be safe for the international soccer tournament, but he left the door open for intervention.

"We're going to make sure they're safe. They're run by radical left lunatics that don't know what they're doing," 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, absolutely."

However, the reality of moving the world's most-popular sporting event would prove daunting in light of the preparations and money already set aside for hosting the tournament, for which Seattle was named a host city in June 2022. Seattle and Lumen Field, which will hold four group-stage matches and two knockout-round matches next summer, is expected to draw 750,000 visitors.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2025/09/29/world-cup-donald-trump-fifa-seattlefwc26.html