President Donald Trump created a task force Friday to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will bring the globe's premier soccer tournament to North America at a time when his on-again, off-again tariffs have ratcheted up tensions across the continent.
“I think it's going to make it more exciting,” Trump said of playing the World Cup amid sharp rhetoric between leaders of the host nations. “Tension's a good thing.”
The task force, which Trump will chair, will coordinate the federal government's security and planning for the tournament, which is expected to draw millions of tourists to the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“It’s a great honor for our country to have it,” Trump said of the World Cup after meeting with officials from FIFA, the international soccer governing body. He said he’d like to attend multiple games.
Preparations are ramping up across the continent alongside tensions between the United States and its neighbors as Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs before backing off, spooking markets and leading to fears of a trade war and economic downturn. He also speaks pejoratively of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and muses about Canada becoming a U.S. state, which has boosted national pride north of the border.
For 2026, the World Cup will expand to 48 teams playing 104 matches across three nations, the first time the tournament will be split between countries. Seventy-eight of 104 matches will be played in the U.S., with 13 games each in Mexico and Canada, and as many as six matches a day. The final will be played July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the task force will ensure that each of the visitors who will travel from around the world “feels safe, feels happy and feels that we are doing something special.”
“So we’re here to create and to make the best show on the planet ever,” Infantino said. He gave Trump a personalized game ball and unveiled an elaborate trophy that will go to the winner of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which will pit top soccer clubs against each other this summer ahead of next year's matchup of national teams.
Trump later brought Infantino to show off the trophy at the start of a White House cryptocurrency summit. The United States, where soccer has grown in popularity but remains a niche sport, represents a major growth area for soccer, he said.
Infantino likened producing the World Cup to holding three Super Bowls daily for a month, a dizzying security and logistical challenge for the host governments.
The Trump administration will face a second test on the global sports stage in 2028, when the summer Olympics will be held in California, the first time the Games will have been in the U.S. since Salt Lake City hosted in 2002.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
32 Comments
Login to comment
Tamarama
Why????
TaiwanIsNotChina
Thank goodness it seems the olympics are out of the hands of Trump and minions. They should seriously consider banning Trump from the games.
Gorramcowboy
What everyone should be doing is boycotting this and the LA Games entirely.
bass4funk
Not at all
Why is it that liberals embrace fascism so much, bizarre.
HopeSpringsEternal
More good news, as DJT says, having the World Cup, like having 3 Super Bowls a day for a whole month, due to global viewership = MAGA
Jimizo
Russia won’t be there so he’ll have to support the US.
Anyway, is this nonsense about half time show at the final true? Embarrassing, tacky nonsense if it is.
wallace
What does Trump even know about football? Has he ever watched a match? it won't help with his relationships with Mexico and Canada.
wallace
The World Cup final is the most watched sports event in the world, 3- 4 billion watched it. Super Bowl does not come close. Trump went to the Super Bowl last month but left before the end of the second quarter.
Trump needs to leave it to people who understand and love the game. Maybe Trump thinks he will win the World Cup.
I'veSeenFootage
Because he literally has nothing better to do. It's either this or watching fox news all day long. This is the least working man in the history of US politics.
HopeSpringsEternal
Trump understands media and events better than most, including Sports platforms like NASCAR, etc. to build his goodwill and spur the economy etc.
Seems DJT's been pretty successful thus far, different type of campaign, but still media centric, which he loves, as center of attention. Voters love World Cup, especially Hispanics that Republicans won in Nov - first time ever!
wallace
"The FIFA World Cup will be taking a page out of the Super Bowl's book, after announcing this week that its 2026 final game slated to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will include a halftime show. (It will be called New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament.)"
It will be expensive for fans having to travel between three countries.
wallace
How many Americans watched the FIFA World Cup final in 2022?
"FIFA World Cup Finals average viewership in the U.S. 2018-2022. The 64 matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup were watched by an average of almost 3.59 million viewers on FOX in the United States. This marked an increase of around 30 percent on the viewership from the previous tournament in 2018."
itsonlyrocknroll
There is only one sport that is recognized as Football.
Explained: Why is football called the beautiful game?
https://www.goal.com/en/news/explained-why-is-football-called-the-beautiful-game/16ayjoii69lor168ku0gwsd9vd
Wallace comments points are undisputable.
wallace
All countries beating the US in a game will be subject to increased Trump tariffs.
Jimizo
Rumours that Trump asked Infantino to allow Russia back into the tournament and suggested Chachi host the half-time show.
TokyoLiving
What a farce...
itsonlyrocknroll
Football is a lesson in sporting simplicity.
Just seventeen rules.....
Laws of the Game & FA Rules
https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules
No matter, billionaire or beggar, two feet, is all takes,
Eat the left
Maybe they can start calling it 'football' and relegate the American sport to 'American football' where it belongs.
HopeSpringsEternal
Trump loves big events, global media like non other, the World Cup, he just called it like having 3 Super Bowls a Day for a month. DJT will shine promoting soccer, US voters will approve, especially soccer crazy Hispanics, whom Trump and Republicans won for first time in Nov!
HopeSpringsEternal
Besides, Trump's at heart a promoter, so events like the World Cup and Olympics are his strong suit to build goodwill and economic activity, as TV ratings in World Cup, bigger than ANY other event by FAR.
HopeSpringsEternal
Pretty common knowledge that Hispanic Americans love soccer (and baseball) relative to US football, basketball and ice hockey = Common Sense
Not surprisingly Hispanics from other countries feel very similar and also love soccer/football and baseball
Finally, DJT did very well with Hispanic American voters in Nov, historically well, for many reasons. Bringing World Cup to the US next year sure won't hurt his popularity.
Above not trolling, just common knowledge!
wallace
66 million Hispanics are living in America. The total viewers for the US for the last World Cup was 3.5 million. A few more might watch it because it's partially being held in the US.
It's not America's World Cup. It's Canada's, Mexico's, and the US World Cup.
u_s__reamer
Still MIA as potus, Trump has too much time on his little hands. Otherwise how can we explain this latest attention-grabbing move?
Speed
The 2002 World Cup was split between Japan and South Korea or am I missing something here?
Keep an eye on him. Gotta feeling he's gonna try to rename it The Cup of America.
HopeSpringsEternal
Global World Cup TV Audience massive, far larger than any event, including Olympics, and 1 month of coverage!
Huge $economics, advertising and licensing for other TV networks, Streaming Services, etc. across entire planet.
Hispanics in US love soccer (and baseball) in large part because there are so many professional Hispanic players, unlike Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey etc.
DJT loves to make his MANY Hispanic Voters Happy, and they will be in 2026, watching the World Cup!
Peter14
Trump knows about as much about this sport as he does diplomacy. NOTHING!
Putting Trump in charge means it will not run smoothly, but will be tainted by one issue after another. Trump wants to grandstand in front of the world and will use this, as he will the LA Olympic games to go after some "wonderful photo opportunities".
Expect more than a couple of instances of Trump offending people/teams/nations and even the sport itself.
It must be all about Trump. At all times about Trump and the magnificent job, better than anyone else in history really, that Trump says about himself. he is F.O.S!
wallace
Trump will need VAR.
HopeSpringsEternal
Trump wins again, World Cup another feather in his cap to build goodwill with the best global consumer platform.
Plus, again another reason he and Republican Party will make further inroads into KEY US Hispanic voter block.
wallace
American Hispanics and others do not watch soccer in any substantial numbers. How many watch MSL?
In 2024, Major League Soccer (MLS) had a record-breaking 11.45 million fans attend regular season matches, with an average attendance of 23,234 per game.
The MLS Cup final, the last championship game before MLS partnered with Apple, generated 2.155 million viewers in the United States on Fox (1.487 million) and Univision (668,000).
wallace
Trump did nothing to bring the World Cup to Canada, the US, and Mexico. Trying to take the credit for the work of others.
HopeSpringsEternal
Most viewership's streaming, mainstream media losing its relevance everywhere, not just news. This World Cup will be the biggest $media event in global history.
Been in Mexico and parts of America during the World Cup and there can be no doubt about Hispanics LOVE for Soccer/Football and DJT, they love his toughness!
Viva Trump and Viva World Cup!
HopeSpringsEternal
It was during Trump's first term that his delegation he hand-selected, including big time US Hispanic supporters, that prevailed in their 2026 World Cup Bid.
These are the same supporters that helped him win the Hispanic vote in Nov, first time ever for Republicans.