Germany divided on possible boycott of FIFA World Cup in US for Trump's remarks about annexing Greenland

​​​​​​​By Erbil Basay

BERLIN (AA) - US President Donald Trump’s repeated remarks that the US should own Greenland for national security reasons have prompted discussions about various countermeasures in Europe.

In Germany, boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is planned for the US, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, is a measure that has been under debate.

If the US were to illegally annex Greenland, a lawmaker from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, spoke to the German media; he could not imagine a joyful football celebration taking place in the US.

Jurgen Hardt urged Europeans to consider whether it would be appropriate to participate in the events under those circumstances.

Hardt noted that refusing to take part in the tournament could be considered a "last resort to get Trump to see sense on the Greenland issue."

"We should send as many messages as possible to the Trump administration and the American people that there are certain red lines in regards to upholding sovereignty and international affairs," Hardt told Metro.

"If Trump carries out the announcements and threats related to Greenland and starts a trade war with the EU, it is hard to imagine European countries taking part in the World Cup," said another CDU lawmaker, Roderich Kiesewetter.

"Decisions about participation in or boycotts of major sporting events lie solely with the responsible sports associations, not with politicians," said Sport Minister Christiane Schenderlein (CDU).

-Some pressure needs to be applied somewhere

According to a survey by the Insa polling company, a significant portion of Germany would support a boycott if Trump were to annex Greenland.

A total of 47% of respondents said “Yes,” 35% said “No,” and 18% said they “don’t know," when asked if Germany would boycott the World Cup if the US annexed Greenland.

A resident in Berlin, Bernd Kiefell, told Anadolu that it is not fair to do something like this politically, noting that athletes were affected by similar decisions during Olympic boycotts in 1980 and 1984.

But Kiefell said it was right to raise the possibility of a boycott.

“At some point, some pressure needs to be applied. Whether this will actually happen depends on what unfolds in the coming weeks," he added.

A man named Arthur said the World Cup should be boycotted.

“Yes, of course [it should be boycotted]. I think Europe needs to start thinking about and acting in its own interests. I believe this makes sense,” he said.

Another person, Isem, said a boycott would not achieve results but added, “Still, the proposal is good. Pressure should be applied and action should be taken.”

A man named Hoffmann said he was undecided about whether the tournament should be boycotted.

“What can the footballers do about this? Why should they boycott it? The players want to play too,” he said.

Emphasizing that the situation was unpleasant, Hoffmann added, “Should it be boycotted or not? In one sense, yes; in another, no. It’s hard to say.”

Another citizen, Frank, argued that a boycott would not make Trump back down, but, “Still, we need to send a signal.”

One resident who did not want to be named said something needed to be done in response to the threats, but questioned whether sports events should be boycotted.

“Shouldn’t sports and politics be kept separate?" he added.