Trump says he would consider moving World Cup games.
Eleven North American cities are scheduled to host games.
(Reuters)- US President Donald Trump said he would consider moving 2026 World Cup matches from cities he deemed unsafe, months before the US was set to co-host the competition with Canada and Mexico.
Eleven North American cities are scheduled to host games, including the final in New York/New Jersey, in the largest edition of the tournament.
Asked about the possibility of moving games from cities that don't cooperate with his immigration and crime initiatives, Trump said that was on the table during comments made in the Oval Office on Thursday.
"If I find it's not safe, we'll move to a different city," Trump stated.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump would have that authority. Reuters contacted FIFA, the world's governing body for football, for comment.
A reporter at the Oval Office briefing cited two cities -- San Francisco and Seattle, both controlled by Democrats -- as possible targets for the revocation of World Cup hosting rights.
Reuters contacted the host committees in both cities for comment.
This year, Trump sent hundreds of troops to the Democrat-controlled U.S. capital to support a federal crackdown on what he called a crime epidemic.
The description contradicts available data showing that crime rates, in general, have decreased in recent years.
The US president has repeatedly placed himself at the center of sports attention during his second term, announcing last month that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington will host the draw for the 2026 World Cup.
