2 min readUpdated: Mar 18, 2026 01:15 PM IST
Joachim Low and Rainer Bonhof, who have both been part of FIFA World Cup-winning campaigns for Germany as manager and player respectively, expressed their concerns over security ahead of the 2026 tournament. The World Cup this year will be hosted jointly by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
The USA is engaged in a war in Iran along with Israel while Mexico has reeled under a wave of violence following the country’s army’s killing of cartel chief Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” last month.
“We had debates before the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and calls for a boycott before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But playing in a country that is actively at war is even more dangerous,” Low told the Cologne Express newspaper in comments published Tuesday. “The political situation completely overshadows the tournament,” said the 66-year-old, who had led Germany to victory on 2014 World Cup. Low had coached Germany for 15 years between 2006 and 2021, the longest tenure for an international coach in Europe.
Low spoke on Monday evening at an event, focused on previous World Cups, with Rainer Bonhof, who on the other hand said he is not sure if Germany should play in teh 2026 World Cup at all. Bonhof was a key player in West Germany’s run to victory in the 1974 World Cup.
“I don’t even know if you should play at all,” Bonhof said to loud applause, Express reported. “Given the current circumstances, for me only Canada is a neutral country. I don’t want to boycott any World Cup – we’re too fond of football. But we really need to think about security measures, which we haven’t considered yet.”
The German football federation had earlier ruled out any boycott of the World Cup amid internal calls to do so as a protest US President Donald Trump. The federation’s statement had come before US and Israel initiated attacks on Iran on February 28.
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