By Dan Cancian
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President Donald Trump promised there would be a "great partnership" between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. to host the 2026 soccer World Cup, as he met the head of world soccer's governing body on August 28.
Trump welcomed FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the White House and pledged close collaboration between the U.S. and its neighbors ahead of the 2026 tournament, which will mark the return of soccer's biggest event to the U.S. for the first time since 1994.
Infantino, who replaced Sepp Blatter as head of FIFA in 2016 after the latter was involved in a series of corruption and bribery scandals, also gifted President Trump a set of red and yellow cards, as used by soccer referees.
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FIFA's president suggested Trump could use the cards in future meetings with the press, a suggestion the President seemed to like as he showed a red card to reporters, joking they would have to leave the room.
By the time the tournament kicks off Trump will be out of office but he joked he might extend his stay at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"Maybe they'll be extend the term," he told reporters while chatting to Infantino. "The media is going to be very boring if they don't."
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North America won the rights to host the World Cup in June after the joint bid received 134 votes to Morocco's 65, largely thanks to what FIFA members perceived to be superior financial and logistical infrastructures.
However, the relationship between the three countries has long been among the hottest topics of the political agenda, following Trump's pledge to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Earlier this week, the president unveiled a trade "understanding" with Mexico which experts believe could lead to a complete overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement. At present, however, it remains unclear whether Canada will be a part of the new treaty.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament to expand from the current 32 teams to 48 and the first to be hosted across three different countries. After taking the World Cup to Russia this year and to Qatar in 2022, Infantino believes the U.S. are the next frontier for soccer, hinting the country did not make the progress FIFA expected following the 1994 World Cup.
"I would definitely like to see that soccer in the U.S. is becoming one of the top sports, not the No. 5," Infantino was quoted as saying by Sports Illustrated.
"You have to transform this country into a soccer country […] What I want to see is the U.S. league, the U.S. national team, the U.S. youth development structures, boys and girls, being part of the top three in the world."
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