FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday, May 15, days after meeting with officials from the administration of sports-loving US President Donald Trump, that the world will be welcomed to the United States for the 2026 World Cup and the 2025 Club World Cup.
The United States will co-host next year’s World Cup with Mexico and Canada, the first time the world football tournament will feature 48 teams. The United States will host the FIFA Club World Cup from June 14 to July 13, with 32 clubs participating, which will be held in 11 cities.
Reuters reported that Infantino’s comments come at a time when questions could be raised about the potential challenges for the large number of international fans traveling to the United States for both tournaments due to Trump’s strict immigration policies.
After becoming president on January 20, Trump launched an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign, declaring illegal immigration an “invasion” in an effort to increase deportations.
“We had a meeting last week of the White House Task Force on FIFA World Cups with the government of the United States. And the world is welcome in America. Of course, the players, of course, everyone involved, all of us, but definitely also all the fans,” Infantino said at the FIFA Congress in Paraguay on Thursday.
“And let’s be clear about that. This doesn’t come from me; this comes from the American government. Everyone is welcome, obviously, those who want to come and celebrate football… Those who want to come to create trouble, like in every country in the world, they are not welcome. They are not welcome anywhere in the world,” the FIFA president added.
Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, an American politician, political commentator, and former professional golfer, will serve as executive director of the president’s task force for the 2026 World Cup, according to Reuters.
Reuters’s reporting contributed to this article.
