2026 World Cup: Claude Le Roy urges Africa to boycott the tournament | OneFootball

Claude Le Roy

Former coach of several African national teams, Claude Le Roy is calling on the countries that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup to boycott the tournament.

On Sunday evening, Claude Le Roy indirectly saved the 2025 AFCON final by advising Sadio Mané to call his teammates back onto the pitch to resume the match against Morocco (1-0). After standing by the Senegalese side, the veteran coach broadened the conversation, linking the fate of Senegal—and Africa as a whole—to the political and economic pitfalls of global football. He even went so far as to suggest a boycott of the 2026 World Cup.

“Football is life; it’s not Gianni Infantino, proud to be in Trump’s Oval Office or at Mar-a-Lago, supporting a president who is damaging Africa by shutting down all the NGOs. That’s the real tragedy of this continent. I wonder if we shouldn’t call for a boycott of the 2026 World Cup (in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, editor’s note), given Donald Trump’s attitude toward Africa, with the FIFA president boasting about being at his side. The top leaders in football don’t talk about football anymore—only about money. I attended the CAF press conference, tried several times to speak, but was never handed a microphone because everyone knew I wouldn’t be complacent. My fight on this issue isn’t over.” he declared.