Seattle is the last city that should lose World Cup hosting privileges | OneFootball

Over the last month, President Trump has made it clear that he can remove World Cup games from any of the 11 host cities across America, singling out San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle. The administration claims that these cities are “overrun with crime".

This has stirred frustration and confusion amongst football fans across the World and especially in Seattle, with most asking: Can the President move World Cup games on a whim, and how likely are games to be moved?

The bylaws and regulations written by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup Tournament state that the US administration itself cannot relocate a World Cup game, and that the power to change any or all game locations lies solely with FIFA. FIFA President Gianni Infantino seems to be the one who likely makes the call on World Cup game relocation. Infantino has a very close relationship with President Trump and has made several visits to the White House to meet with him since the administration began its second term, and has often publicly praised President Trump. President Trump even invited Infantino to the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt.

A preventive logistical issue with moving matches is deciding where to move the games.  Stadiums would also need to have natural grass and seat at least 40,000 people to be considered according to FIFA. A new host city would need to have the capacity to support the massive influx of tourists, ensure that the traffic and transportation infrastructure can handle hosting an event of this magnitude, and follow the regional organization of the tournament, meaning a match in Seattle cannot be relocated to New Orleans or Chicago. This is done to limit players' traveling across time zones as much as possible early on in the tournament.

Seattle breathes soccer, other states do not

If relocation gets this far down the road, and given the current political climate, it is unlikely that predominantly Liberal states/cities would rehost matches. This leaves the easiest candidates for relocation as the Arizona Cardinals' State Farm Stadium or the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.

Although the soccer footprint is not massive in either location, these venues meet all of FIFA’s requirements to host World Cup matches. Both stadiums have natural grass fields, are domed (which addresses weather concerns), and have state-of-the-art training facilities in the surrounding areas. Both cities have experience running major sporting events and hosting crowds of tourists, as Phoenix and Las Vegas hosted back-to-back Super Bowls in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The biggest issue with relocating matches is ticketing, as there is no clear path or precedent for reallocating tickets in this model. According to FIFA, around a million tickets have already been sold through presale draws and hospitality sales, and another early ticket draw is about to begin as of the writing of this article.

What makes any form of exchange or refund uniquely difficult is the dynamic pricing model. With the Sounders and soccer in general being popular in Seattle, World Cup tickets for games were in high demand and thus more expensive than in most other US cities.

There would also be no good way to accurately price seats for a relocated game in Arizona or Las Vegas, as the dynamic pricing model was shaped by questions during the initial VISA Presale Draw Application. A direct transfer of tickets for matches now hosted in a less valuable market/city would cause massive uproar by fans who are not only forced to remake travel plans but who would have overpaid for already expensive tickets.

Infantino’s public support of President Trump on this matter not only makes this a possibility at all, but has continued to fuel unfavorable views and opinions on the 2026 World Cup and on FIFA as a whole.

There are outspoken voices within FIFA who are vehemently against removing World Cup games for these partisan issues; however, the threats and statements made by President Trump and Infantino not only display a lack of care for the beautiful game but also the continued devaluation of the World Cup.