France’s sports minister said she does not anticipate her country pulling out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — largely being played in the United States this summer — over President Donald Trump’s threats toward France.
Trump has said he intends to assess France and seven other European nations with tariffs over their failure to support his plan to take control of Greenland, which the president contends is vital for national security and the security of NATO nations.
“As it stands now, there is no desire from the ministry for a boycott of this great competition,” sports minister Marina Ferrari told reporters on Tuesday, per French publication Le Monde. “Now, I will not anticipate what could happen, but I have also heard voices raised from certain political blocs. I am one who believes in keeping sport separate [from politics]. The World Cup is an extremely important moment for those who love sport.”
Ferrari’s comments came before Trump addressed world leaders on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in which he ramped up his rhetoric about the United States’ intention to control Greenland. It is a self-governing territory of Denmark.
This week, the German government said it will leave decisions about the World Cup with the organization that oversees soccer in the country.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Trump have developed a friendly relationship. On Dec. 5, the day of the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
“This is truly one of the great honors of my life,” Trump said.
Also Tuesday, the French Football Federation announced the team will train at Babson College in the Boston suburb of Wellesley. The team, assigned to Group I in pool play, will play its final round-robin game against Norway on June 26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
–Field Level Media
