FIFA is confident that all venues will be ready for the 2026 World Cup.

▲ World soccer's governing body, led by Gianni Infantino (right), responded to President Donald Trump's repeated threats of possible changes to the World Cup. Photo: AFP

Afp and Ap

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Paris. FIFA hopes the 16 host cities will be ready to host the 2026 World Cup matches, it said in a statement released to AFP yesterday, after US President Donald Trump insisted on the possibility of moving some games for security reasons.

"We expect each of the 16 host cities to be prepared to successfully host the matches and meet all the necessary conditions," a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement that also included the other two host countries, Canada and Mexico.

“Safety and security are obviously the responsibility of governments, which decide what is in the interest of public safety,” the agency added.

Trump suggested a few days ago that he might declare cities "unsafe" for the soccer tournament, altering FIFA's plan since 2022.

However, the World Cup host cities are not dependent on Trump. The 11 US cities, plus three in Mexico and two in Canada, have contracts with FIFA, which would face significant logistical and legal challenges if it makes changes just eight months before the tournament kicks off, analysts say.

On Tuesday, Trump returned to the topic, threatening to relocate the World Cup games to Boston after noting that parts of the city had been gripped by riots.

Of the seven games scheduled to be played at Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL's New England Patriots in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, five will be group stage matches, one will be a round of 16 match, and one will be a quarterfinal match. The news of so many important matches surprised even the local organizers.

The tournament is expected to generate a local economic impact of $1.1 billion, create more than 5,000 jobs, and generate $60 million in tax revenue throughout the region, according to organizers. They also anticipate more than 2 million visitors will arrive in New England during the 39 days of the World Cup.

Boston and its mayor, Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom Trump called “smart” but “radical leftist,” have been frequent targets of the Trump administration.

Regarding the games in that city, the US president said: “We could take them away. I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are over. But their mayor is no good.”

AFP

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Madrid. Pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's attacks on Gaza are increasingly spreading to the world of sports. A new protest took place during the basketball game between Valencia Basket and Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv, which left at least five people arrested, authorities reported.

Tensions between law enforcement and protesters, some of whom were hooded, led to the arrest of five people, a police source said.

Hundreds of people gathered yesterday outside the Roig Arena, where the Euroleague match between Valencia Basket and Israel's Hapoël Tel Aviv was played behind closed doors.

Protesters waved Palestinian flags and banners reading "Boycott Israel" and "More than 20,000 children murdered," referring to the genocide and famine committed by Benjamin Netanyahu's government in the Gaza Strip.

"These teams (the Israelis) shouldn't be allowed to participate, neither in the Vuelta (of Spain), nor here, nor in football, nor anywhere, as they did with Russia and as (international sports organizations) have done before," said Aglaia Montoya, a 48-year-old translator present at the demonstration.

The Valencian club followed the authorities' recommendations by announcing on Tuesday that the Euroleague game would be played behind closed doors for the "safety of both fans and staff."

The measure was taken after a pro-Palestinian protest erupted in late September during the final stage of the Vuelta a España, one of the top international cycling competitions, due to the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech team.

In Spain, the Palestinian cause enjoys widespread popular support, and solidarity actions have multiplied in recent weeks in the world of sports.

Spain's two main unions—the General Union of Workers and the Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions—also called for a nationwide day of mobilization on Wednesday to demand "an end to the genocide that seeks to exterminate the Palestinian people."

▲ Mexican Alejandro Kirk of the Toronto Blue Jays is a finalist among the nominees for the Gold Glove Award as an American League catcher for the 2025 Major League season. The Tijuana native will compete for the award with Dillion Dingler of the Detroit Tigers and Carlos Narváez of the Boston Red Sox. AP Photo

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