President Trump creates task force for 2026 World Cup, embracing tensions with co-hosts as 'exciting' for the tournament. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

- Trump to lead task force for 2026 World Cup amid tensions with co-hosts Canada and Mexico.
- FIFA President Infantino likens World Cup production to hosting three Super Bowls daily for a month.
- U.S. to face second global sports test with 2028 Summer Olympics in California.
Share
President Donald Trump has created a task force 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 Friday 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 Amid Continental Tensions
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, the first time that the tournament will be played across three 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.
Related Story: Trump Has Begun Another Trade War. Here’s a Timeline of How We Got Here
FIFA’s Vision for the Tournament
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.
Future Sporting Events in the U.S.
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.
___
This story has been corrected to reflect that the 2026 World Cup will be the first to be played across three countries.
RELATED TOPICS:
Judge and Ohtani Light Up the First Inning With Historic Homers in Yankees-Dodgers Rematch
10 hours ago
Chapman Homers, Harrison Pitches Five Scoreless Innings as Giants Beat Marlins
10 hours ago
General Is a Good Boy — in English and Spanish
11 hours ago
Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap
1 hour ago
California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law
5 hours ago
Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy
8 hours ago
Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump
9 hours ago
No. 15 Overall Seed UCLA Eases Past Fresno State Behind a Season-High 22 Hits
9 hours ago
Judge and Ohtani Light Up the First Inning With Historic Homers in Yankees-Dodgers Rematch
10 hours ago
Chapman Homers, Harrison Pitches Five Scoreless Innings as Giants Beat Marlins
10 hours ago
General Is a Good Boy — in English and Spanish
11 hours ago
Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap
1 hour ago
California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law
5 hours ago
Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy
8 hours ago
Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump
9 hours ago
No. 15 Overall Seed UCLA Eases Past Fresno State Behind a Season-High 22 Hits
9 hours ago
Judge and Ohtani Light Up the First Inning With Historic Homers in Yankees-Dodgers Rematch
10 hours ago
Chapman Homers, Harrison Pitches Five Scoreless Innings as Giants Beat Marlins
10 hours ago
General Is a Good Boy — in English and Spanish
11 hours ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump
