According to Christiane Schenderlein, Minister of State for Sport and Volunteering, the federal government has spoken out against a possible boycott of the 2026 World Cup. “We don’t support that,” said the CDU politician in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. This was agreed upon within the Federal Cabinet.
As justification, Schenderlein referred to the German government’s foreign policy line towards the USA. “Sport must not be exploited for this purpose,” she said. In addition, the World Cup is not only taking place in the United States, but also in Canada and Mexico.
“That wasn’t a good situation,” says Schenderlein about the World Cup in Qatar
Schenderlein recalled the debate surrounding the last World Cup in Qatar, when the then Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sat in the stands with a “One Love” armband and the German team covered their mouths during the team photo on the field. “It wasn’t a good situation that arose,” said the 44-year-old.
Around the conflict between the USA and the European NATO states over Donald Trump’s claims to ownership of Greenland, there were political voices that participation in the World Cup had to be checked. St. Pauli club boss Oke Göttlich also explained that a boycott should at least be discussed because of the US President’s behavior.
