Jim Souhan, a sportswriter for The Minnesota Star Tribune, writes:

Authoritarian governments love sportswashing — using international events to put a smiling face on their grim realities.

That’s what the United States will try to do this summer with the World Cup.

Eleven U.S. cities are scheduled to play host to World Cup matches this summer.

The United States does not deserve this privilege as long as uniformed thugs are attacking people in the streets with the support of the federal government.

If you live elsewhere, don’t come to the United States.

If you live in the United States, don’t go to the games.

Foreigners would be foolish to visit. Americans would be foolish to attend.

Individuals have little power in this world. We each get one vote. Each of us can control where our money goes. Our money should not support events that broadcast misleading images to the world.

I’ve been privileged to travel extensively for work and play, yet I’ve never been this close to abject institutional cruelty.

The Olympics have banned countries, including Russia, for military aggression. The United States is now imitating the brutality of the Russian regime, where peaceful protests are crushed and dissidents are poisoned, or just happen to fall from windows.

A government that supports the killing of a mother who had just dropped off her child at school shouldn’t be allowed to feign unity and patriotism at an international event.

Boycott the World Cup.

And if things don’t change, boycott the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. [Continue reading…]

🇩🇪🇺🇸 Germany does not rule out boycotting the 2026 World Cup to convince Trump not to seize Greenland

"Canceling the tournament will only be considered as a last resort to bring President Trump to his senses on the Greenland issue," said Jürgen Hardt, a representative of the… pic.twitter.com/yNepjU5AAx

— Savchenko Volodymyr (@SavchenkoReview) January 17, 2026