Annalena Baerbock, the president of the UN General Assembly and former German foreign minister, said she rejects a boycott of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. She warned that a boycott would also affect Canada and Mexico, the co‑hosts of the tournament, and argued that it would be wrong to “carry political debates on the backs of athletes who have trained for years for a championship”.
Baerbock called for measured action from sports federations and political leaders. She said that under the terms of any major sporting event associations have a duty to respect their own criteria-such as press freedom, non‑discrimination and entry regulations-rather than having those principles trampled. On the political level, she urged that governments not be reduced to mere clappers in the stands but instead take a clear, proactive stance before the event.
Calls for a boycott have been linked to President Donald Trump’s threats of annexing Greenland and Canada, as well as to the aggressive treatment of certain populations. In this context, Baerbock distanced herself from FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s suggestion of allowing Russia to participate in international tournaments. She noted that the Russian war against Ukraine, to her knowledge, has not yet ended.
