President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing a White House task force for the 2026 World Cup.
The White House says the task force – which will be chaired by President Trump — will oversee preparations for the Club World Cup, which is being hosted in the U.S. this summer, as well as the World Cup, which takes place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada next year.
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Vice President JD Vance will act as vice chair and an as yet unnamed executive director will oversee day-to-day operations.
Trump signed the executive order in the Oval Office alongside Gianni Infantino, describing the FIFA president as “my friend for a long time.”
Trump was president in 2018 when the 2026 tournament was awarded and the U.S. secured the right to host 75 percent of the matches. Trump’s administration also had a role in the bidding and lobbying process.
However, the upcoming tournament comes amid the backdrop of the Trump imposing tariffs on co-hosts Canada and Mexico, as well as his derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants and rhetoric about Canada becoming America’s “51st state”.
Asked about whether the threat of trade tariffs being imposed on fellow co-hosts would impact the World Cup, Trump replied: “I think it’s gonna make it more exciting. Tension is a good thing.”
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The Athletic reported in February that Trump’s 2018 commitment that “all eligible athletes, officials and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States without discrimination” is also at significant risk of being unfulfilled, given concerns over visa wait times.
“It’s important that everyone who comes to America feels safe and feels welcome and that’s why it’s important that the government brings together this White House task force chaired by the president himself, it shows the importance of the FIFA World Cups,” Infantino added.
Infantino also had close links with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Qatar’s emir, Thamim bin Hamad Thani, the hosts of the last two men’s World Cups. Speaking in February, the FIFA president defended his close relationship with Trump, describing it as “crucial for the success of a World Cup”.
The 2026 World Cup takes place between Jun. 11 and Jul. 19, and the final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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“We have ten million tickets for sale — it’s like three Super Bowls every day for one month,” Infantino said.
Mr. Trump added: “I love what he said — three Super Bowls a day for a month. That’s what it is. It’s amazing when you think about it, I’d never heard that expression. That’s a lot.”
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What happened at Trump and Infantino’s press conference — and what does it mean?
Analysis from Adam Crafton
President Trump has repeatedly mentioned the upcoming World Cup since returning to power for a second term. At an address in Miami during the Saudi-backed FII Summit last month, Trump asked Infantino to stand up to be applauded by the room and described him as “the king of soccer.”
This is a bromance that first developed during Trump’s first presidential term, during the winning 2026 hosting bid. Infantino visited the Trump White House on three occasions during that term, as well as playing golf with him in New Jersey and lunching with him at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2020. He did not have any photo opportunities in the Oval Office with the President Joe Biden between 2021 and 2025.
On the surface, therefore, Trump’s return to power appears to be a win for Infantino, especially considering the Club World Cup and that the U.S. and Mexico are expected to jointly win out to host the Women’s World Cup in 2031.
(Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
FIFA, however, have substantial challenges to overcome for the 2026 tournament. Host cities, for example, are eager to secure federal funding to guarantee security during the tournament in order to avoid dipping excessively into the pockets of state taxpayers or donors, and hardline visa and immigration policies have sparked fears that a number of people who legitimately acquire tickets for the tournament could be refused visas altogether.
FIFA and the U.S. Travel Association had been pushing for the White House to set up an interagency task force specifically targeted at assisting with preparations for the tournament to maximize its revenues. Friday’s announcement, and Infantino even speaking alongside the president, therefore represents a step forward but the executive order laid out no specific plans to reduce visa wait times, or specific funding commitments, although it did say Trump is committed to “showcasing national pride, hospitality and economic opportunity through sports tourism.”
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During the press conference, there were some curious moments; Infantino claimed there would be a $40 billion economic impact via FIFA tournaments between now and the World Cup. The Athletic has asked FIFA to provide the source to evidence that forecast, but has not received a response by the point of publication, while Infantino also claimed 200,000 jobs would be created. Infantino also found himself standing next to the president as Trump claimed once again that the 2020 Presidential Election, won by Biden, had been “rigged”.
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Infantino himself said that “millions” of people will enter the U.S. for the tournament, but neither he nor Trump addressed the concerns about visas.
Infantino showed Trump the Club World Cup trophy, which has been developed by Tiffany & Co on the recommendation of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump suggested the trophy should remain in the White House so guests can have their photograph taken with it, and Infantino suggested the President should join him in New York City’s MetLife Stadium this summer to hand the trophy to the winners of the tournament. Trump did not commit to that.
Following the meeting in the Oval Office, Infantino then joined Trump for the White House’s first “Crypto Summit”. Infantino said: “FIFA is very, very interested under my presidency to develop the FIFA coin to do it from America and conquer the five billion soccer fans in the world. So if there is anyone interested in teaming up with FIFA, we’ll conquer the world of soccer with the FIFA coin.”
Trump replied: “That coin may be worth more than FIFA in the end. It may be quite a coin.”
(Top photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)