Sepp Blatter Urges Fans To Boycott U.S. World Cup

Sepp Blatter posted on X on Monday that he agreed with Mark Pieth's advice that fans should "stay away from the USA" for the World Cup, urging a fan boycott of matches in the United States between June 11 and July 19.

The call follows Mark Pieth's interview with Swiss newspaper Der Bund, in which Pieth, who chaired the Independent Governance Committee overseeing FIFA reform, cited U.S. immigration and security measures as reasons fans should avoid traveling to the United States.

Oke Göttlich, vice president of the German Football Association, told the Hamburger Morgenpost last week that fans and teams should "seriously consider" not visiting the United States, a position that other European officials have echoed in interviews and social posts.

The Trump administration's expanded travel restrictions announced in December bar fans from Senegal and Ivory Coast without prior visas and would also affect fans from Iran and Haiti, according to government announcements and travel policy changes.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has praised U.S. cooperation and awarded President Donald Trump a FIFA honor in December, and national federations and organizers face pressure to clarify attendance plans and visa arrangements before the tournament begins.