The United States just finished hosting the 2026 World Cup for the first time in more than 30 years, and even though it will be a while before it does it again, President Donald Trump will be requesting to host it once more "immediately."
Trump made the comments to Fox Sports' Jenny Taft ahead of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, July 19, lauding the success of the tournament that saw millions of people flock to the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and take part in a widely successful event.
He admitted to FIFA president Gianni Infantino that he was skeptical of how well the World Cup would do in the U.S., but the great turnout and reception resulted in him wanting it once more.
"I had a great idea for Gianni. I said, ‘You have to do two countries.’ So announce us again next time, and announce another country after that, that’ll take out some of the anger and the shock," Trump said. "But based on the numbers, we will be requesting it again immediately. But I said to take out the shock, you could announce us and maybe then for the next one another, and even another. But we have to do this again, and we have to do it while I’m around. You hear that, Gianni?”
If Trump was referring to the World Cup being in the U.S. again while he is in office, it won't happen since his term ends in 2028. The 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, while the 2034 edition will be in Saudi Arabia.
The next available World Cup is in 2038, which the U.S. could very likely host since Oceania and North America will be eligible to host under the current cycle rules. However, that's in 12 years.
Trump has made his presence within FIFA known since 2018, when the U.S. was awarded the hosting duties for the 2026 tournament. He has become a close friend with Infantino, who presented Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize in December in a controversial move. He also inserted himself into the red card conversation surrounding U.S. star Folarin Balogun, when he pushed Infantino to reverse the decision to suspend him for one match, which ended up happening in another decision surrounded by controversy.
The president was inside MetLife Stadium for the final between Spain and Argentina, and was on the field to present the medals and trophy for Spain's title, which included him awkwardly still on stage as La Roja celebrated holding the trophy.
Source: The Detroit News
