Is the 2026 World Cup at risk over US-Venezuela tensions? FIFA responds | OneFootball

FIFA was consulted on whether the conflict between the United States and Venezuela could affect the organization of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The concern arose after the U.S. government launched a military operation in Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, to capture President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and transfer them to the U.S. on charges related to drug trafficking.

Some media and commentators compare this situation to the past ban FIFA applied to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, which raised doubts about whether something similar could happen to the North American host country of the World Cup.

However, FIFA has not announced any intention to withdraw the World Cup hosting rights from the United States. In recent conferences and official statements, the organization has indicated that there is no open procedure to sanction the U.S. federation or modify the tournament plans for this reason.

Furthermore, according to experts in FIFA statutes, the internal regulations do not foresee sanctioning a host country for its foreign policy, unless that conflict directly affects football (for example, through interference in the local federation or concrete risks to the security of the competition).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.