US president Donald Trump will be the chairman of a task force he has created to prepare for the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico who are currently in dispute over trade tariffs.
“I think it’s going to make it more exciting,” Trump said of playing the World Cup amid sharp rhetoric between leaders of the host nations.
“Tension’s a good thing.”
The task force will coordinate the federal government’s security and planning for the tournament, which is expected to draw millions of tourists to cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“It’s a great honour for our country to have it,” Trump said of the World Cup after meeting with officials from FIFA, the international governing body of football.
Preparations are ramping up across the continent alongside tensions between the United States and its neighbours as Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs before backing off, spooking markets and leading to fears of a trade war and an economic downturn.
He also speaks pejoratively of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and muses about Canada becoming a US state, which has boosted national pride north of the border.
For 2026, the World Cup will expand to 48 teams playing 104 matches across three nations — the first time the tournament will be split between countries.
Seventy-eight of 104 matches will be played in the US, with 13 games each in Mexico and Canada. As many as six matches will occur each day, with the final to be played on July 20 (AEDT) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the task force would ensure each of the visitors who 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. AP
