World Cup
The United States will be the centre of the sporting world in the coming years with hosting duties lined up for a number of major international events.
Next year the US will host in newly-expanded Club World Cup, before the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games also come to the States. All three are hoped to offer a major economic and cultural boom and all three will take place during the second term of Donald Trump’s presidency.
In a video message posted on Thursday, to coincide with the draw for the Club World Cup, Trump outlined his hopes for the upcoming soccer tournaments. He also took credit for the awarding of the 2026 World Cup, which the US is sharing with Mexico and Canada.
Trump said: “We’re going to be watching the World Cup, very importantly, also very soon. And I was very responsible, along with Gianni [Infantino] in getting it and it’s going to be a fantastic thing.”
"The event is going to be incredible"
Donald Trump looks ahead to the 2025 Club World Cup which is being hosted in USA 🏆 pic.twitter.com/jyg9pAJ05g
He didn’t go into specifics about exactly what he did to influence the members’ vote at the 68th FIFA Congress in 2018, which bestowed hosting rights on the joint-US bid. In May 2016, before Trump had won election, US Soccer Federation board member John Motta confirmed that the US would make a play for the 2026 World Cup.
“Whatever happens, we will bid for the 2026 World Cup,” Motta confirmed at the time. “Either jointly or we will go it alone.”
Nevertheless, Trump had a warm message for soccer fans around the world ahead of the upcoming tournaments: “Soccer is going through the roof, as everybody knows.”
“It’s been doing fantastically well. My son, Baron, is a tremendous soccer fan. He’s a good player, maybe not ‘that’ kind of good but he loves soccer and it really is taking over the United States.”
The group stage draw for the expanded Club World Cup marked the start of a big few years for the US as a global sporting destination. The likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are competing in the tournament, along with domestic representatives Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders.
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About the author
William Gittins
A journalist, soccer fanatic and Shrewsbury Town fan, Will’s love for the game has withstood countless playoff final losses. After graduating from the University of Liverpool he wrote for a number of British publications before joining AS USA in 2020. His work focuses on the Premier League, LaLiga, MLS, Liga MX and the global game.
FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
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