The US has disqualified itself from hosting the World Cup through wars, genocide, and domestic repression.
Originally published in Black Alliance for Peace.
March 3, 2026, With the FIFA World Cup 2026 now 100 days away, an international coalition has launched a coordinated boycott campaign demanding that FIFA move matches from the United States. The Coalition warns that US thuggery is creating a humanitarian crisis, both domestic and international. International sport is not neutral. Mega-sporting events function as instruments of political legitimation. To host global sporting events is not merely a logistical privilege â it is a declaration of belonging within the international community.
âThe coalition believes that with the siege of Cuba, the kidnapping of the president of Venezuela, unprovoked and illegal war on Iran, and the fact that the United States has become an increasingly unsafe and hostile environment for peoples of the world â particularly for Black, Brown, Indigenous, migrant, and non-European peoples - the U.S. has excluded itself from the community of civilized nations and should not be allowed to normalize its violence and international gangsterism,â says Ajamu Baraka of the Black Alliance for Peaceâs North-South Project for People(s)centered human rights, one of the conveners of the coalition
In the US, violent immigration crackdowns, illegal detentions, and discriminatory travel measures endanger communities, fans, players and tournament personnel all while the US soaks its hands in foreign blood across the globe.
Nowhere is this more evident than in West Asia and Africa. There, the US continues its violent campaigns against nations whose players and fans will soon set foot on American soil for 78 world cup matches beginning June 11th. Many will arrive as victims of US-sponsored carnage. We demand: the games cannot go forward as if these lives do not matter-whether it is in graves or cages. We refuse to let the United States hide its transgressions against sovereign peoples. The blood of women and children will not be washed away on the pitch to fertilize its grass, and its seats must remain empty for every person ICE has disappeared.
Mireille Fanon Mendes - France, chair of the Frantz Fanon Foundation declares that âit is morally obscene and politically backward that the United States, a country that has persistently defied international law and stands implicated in grave human rights violationsâincluding wars of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and active support for Israelâs genocide in Gazaâshould be entrusted with hosting a global event meant to celebrate dignity, collective humanity and unity like the World Cup.â
At this historical juncture, permitting the United States to host international sporting events such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics with the participation of Israel, represents a profound moral and political contradiction for the international community of nations.
As we face 100 days before the World Cup, we say reject the normalization of war, repression and genocide. Demand that FIFA move the games and boycott the U.S. until it has demonstrated that it is prepared to operate in the world as a normal state committed to equality, peace and people(s)-centered human rights.
The brilliant writer was also a dear friend and mentor.
Glen Ford's persona and dedication inspired analysis and created many friendships.
âŚFor Brother Glen âWhen an elder dies, a library burns to the groundâŚâ âAfrican proverb (gender-adjusted) I.
Glen Ford was deeply committed to liberating people everywhere.
Glen Fordâs daughter explains his lifelong commitment to Black people.
