US President Donald Trump pledged to host “the best-run soccer tournament the world has ever seen” during the first meeting of the White House Task Force, held on May 6, on future FIFA tournaments.
The Task Force, established by Trump to “help plan the biggest, safest and most extraordinary soccer tournament in history”, will be led by Andrew Giuliani as Executive Director. The President also appointed Carlos Cordeiro, Senior Advisor to the FIFA President, as a Senior Advisor to the Task Force.
Key figures from FIFA and the US government attended the meeting, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino, VP of the US JD Vance, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
The first of the two tournaments the country is set to host is the FIFA Club World Cup later this year. This tournament was recently expanded to feature 32 clubs from around the world, playing 63 matches in 12 stadiums across 11 cities – a significant jump from past editions, which featured only seven teams.
Up to now, a lot of discussions around the Club World Cup have been negative, with players, clubs and other football governing bodies criticising FIFA for adding more games to an already packed calendar.
However, the meeting was largely filled with optimism, particularly around the economic impact the two tournaments will have on the US economy. Infantino stated the events are expected to generate nearly $50bn in economic output for the US and create close to 300,000 jobs.
Jason Siegel, President and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, highlighted the economic and community benefits of the Club World Cup in an interview with Insider Sport in March 2025.
With Orlando set to host matches during the tournament, Siegel said: “We are eagerly anticipating the monumental impact the Club World Cup will have on our community. With an estimated economic impact of $70-90m, this international event is set to make a significant mark.”
Echoing Infantino’s projections, Siegel noted the tournament is expected to boost tourism, with fans travelling from around the world to support their favourite clubs, leading to increased hotel bookings, restaurant visits and local business support.
Looking ahead to 2026
While the revamped Club World Cup is poised to be a major event, it remains overshadowed by next year’s FIFA World Cup. The 2026 tournament is set to be the largest in FIFA’s history, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 cities.
Like this year’s event, the World Cup is expected to create jobs and provide a boost to local economies.
However, more recent World Cup tournaments have faced their own set of defining challenges: Brazil 2014 sparked protests over government spending; Russia 2018 drew criticism over racism in football, geopolitical tensions and accusations of sportswashing; and Qatar 2022 was the most controversial yet, with claims of human rights violations, poor treatment of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ issues.
In addition to logistical and transport concerns, given the increased size of this tournament, one of the main hurdles expected to characterise this edition is visa regulations. The US is known for its strict border control, which has been increasingly aggressive since Trump took office for his second term in January 2025.
Many supporters have expressed concern over long visa wait times and strict immigration policies affecting some of the nations participating in the tournaments. However, the Task Force addressed these issues during the meeting.
Noem confirmed her department is actively working with the appropriate authorities to ensure visa processing is handled in a timely manner.
She said: “This summer, by hosting the Club championship, we’re processing travel documents and visa applications already. That is obviously going to be a precursor to what we can do next year for the World Cup as well.”
Infantino added that he has full and entire confidence in the US to make sure “that we will bring to the world something that they have never seen and they will probably never see again.”
