Petition urging Dutch World Cup boycott of U.S. passes 150,000 signatures
A petition started by journalist Teun van de Keuken for the Dutch national football side to boycott the World Cup in the U.S. next summer has been signed 152,000 times. The petition was initiated in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies. Matches will also be played in Mexico and Canada.
The appeal targets the KNVB as well as the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, and Prime Minister Schoof. The petition says signatories do not want Dutch players to implicitly support policies they see as violent or discriminatory, particularly what they describe as Trump’s “violent terror strategy” against migrants. It also criticizes Trump’s threats to annex Greenland as undermining NATO and global peace, reasons beyond just migration policy that are highlighted as motivation for the boycott appeal. Although counter-petitions supporting participation exist, they have received far less public notice.
The petition has grown rapidly over recent weeks. Local media reported tens of thousands of signatures within days of launching, and the number has since climbed past 150,000. Early reports noted 45,000 signatures one day and over 100,000 shortly afterward as interest surged.
The leadership for the Dutch Football Association, the KNVB, has publicly ruled out a boycott “for now,” saying the Dutch team plans to participate in the World Cup as long as geopolitical developments do not lead to formal restrictions. The KNVB emphasises that it follows government, FIFA, and UEFA guidelines and sees itself primarily as a football organisation focused on sport rather than politics.
Television host Tom Egbers, who has worked on the Oranje games for 40 years, has declined to add his name, arguing that a boycott is not the right response. While there are international appeals, their impact has been modest, including a minor petition originating in New Zealand.
Commentators and some petition signatories have drawn parallels with past debates on boycotts of sporting events for political reasons, for example, the Dutch Olympic boycott in 1956 after the Soviet invasion of Hungary. In that case, a national team withdrew from competition on political grounds, though the KNVB pointed out that such a precedent does not necessarily mean a World Cup boycott would follow.
Calls for boycotts aren’t limited to the Netherlands. Politicians in other countries, including Germany and parts of the United Kingdom, have publicly debated whether their national teams should withdraw if political tensions with the U.S. escalate further.
