Trump immediately sought a new hosting opportunity for the United States after the 2026 World Cup
U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States of America should host the FIFA World Cup again as soon as possible, encouraged by record attendance and enormous global interest in the 2026 tournament. He presented the idea on July 19 in an interview with Fox Sports shortly before the final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium, stressing that he would ask FIFA President Gianni Infantino to initiate a new U.S. bid. Trump acknowledged that such a move could cause dissatisfaction among other interested countries, so he proposed an unusual political compromise: according to his idea, FIFA could simultaneously announce the United States as the host of one tournament and another country as the organizer of the next available championship. He concluded his message by addressing Infantino directly, saying that he wanted to see the tournament return to America while he was still alive: "Do you hear that, Gianni?"
Trump's statement came at the conclusion of the first World Cup featuring 48 national teams and 104 matches, held in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States. According to FIFA's final figures, 6,810,966 spectators attended the matches over 39 days, which the organization declared a tournament record. The final was played on July 19, with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time to win its second world title. The attendance figures, packed stadiums and commercial reach of the tournament were precisely the central arguments Trump used to justify his demand for another hosting opportunity.
"Based on the numbers, we will ask for it immediately"
According to The Independent's report on the Fox Sports interview, Trump said that the United States would immediately request another World Cup "based on the numbers." He claimed that the matches had attracted enormous interest and that the tournament had demonstrated how the U.S. market could handle the organization of football's largest event. At the same time, he acknowledged in advance that rapidly returning the championship to the same country would cause "shock" and "anger," particularly among associations that have spent years preparing their own bids and investing in stadiums, transport infrastructure and political support. His proposal to select two future hosts simultaneously was evidently conceived as a way to reduce that resistance, but there are currently no indications that FIFA is considering such a model for the cycle after 2034.
The statement was not entirely unexpected. Two days before the final, Trump and Infantino appeared together at a reception in New York, where both described the tournament as a major organizational and social success. The Associated Press reported Infantino's assessment that the championship had fulfilled its objective of bringing together supporters from around the world, while Trump ranked the event among the greatest sporting spectacles in history. Such a public exchange of praise further emphasized the close working relationship between the U.S. administration and FIFA's leadership during the preparation and staging of the tournament. However, political closeness to the FIFA president is not sufficient in itself to secure hosting rights, because the decision requires a formal bidding process, an evaluation of the bids and a vote by FIFA's member associations.
Before the final, Trump also commented on the sporting outcome, estimating that it was difficult to bet against Lionel Messi and Argentina. His prediction did not come true: Spain won through Ferran Torres's goal in the 106th minute. After the match, the U.S. president participated in the medal and trophy presentation ceremony alongside Infantino and representatives of the host countries. This gave the tournament finale a strong political dimension, while Trump's demand for another tournament remained one of the main messages he delivered during the final weekend.
Why 2030 and 2034 are unavailable
Despite the word "immediately," the schedule of already awarded tournaments leaves very little room for the rapid realization of the American ambition. In December 2024, FIFA formally confirmed that the 2030 World Cup would be organized by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with three centenary celebration matches taking place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The tournament will therefore be spread across three continents and six countries, while the opening portion of the program in South America will symbolically connect the 2030 edition with the first championship, held in Uruguay in 1930. The hosting rights for 2034 were awarded to Saudi Arabia, which remained the only candidate in the final stage of the process.
Consequently, 2038 is the first men's World Cup whose host has not yet been determined. However, a U.S. bid for that tournament has not currently been officially launched or confirmed. FIFA has not yet published the complete bidding calendar, minimum requirements, deadlines for expressions of interest or the final eligibility rules for the 2038 edition. The established practice of continental rotation supports the possibility that candidates from the CONCACAF region could participate again after the 2030 and 2034 championships, but FIFA must establish the final rules for each individual process. It is therefore more accurate to describe 2038 as the first realistic opportunity rather than an already guaranteed American slot.
FIFA's procedure also means that Infantino cannot independently award the tournament to the United States. In the process for the 2030 and 2034 championships, the FIFA Council established the framework and eligible confederations, the administration conducted technical and commercial evaluations, and the hosts were appointed by the member associations of world football's governing body at an extraordinary Congress. A similar multi-stage procedure would be expected for 2038, including detailed requirements relating to stadiums, accommodation, transport, security, human rights, sustainability, legal guarantees and the financial model. Political support from the White House could be important, but the formal bid would have to involve the U.S. Soccer Federation and satisfy conditions that FIFA has yet to publish.
Record attendance as the main American argument
The organizers of a future bid would almost certainly place the results of the 2026 championship at the forefront. FIFA states that 6,810,966 spectators watched 104 matches, with 308 goals scored and the program distributed across 16 stadiums. The United States was the largest of the three hosts, with matches in 11 metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, the New York and New Jersey area, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Canada and Mexico provided the remaining five host cities, making the championship a logistically complex project covering vast distances and crossing three national borders.
Before the tournament, the White House established a special task force to coordinate federal agencies, security services, transport institutions and local organizers. According to information published on the task force's official website, U.S. authorities estimated that the World Cup alone could generate $40.9 billion in gross economic activity and contribute $17.2 billion to U.S. GDP, while supporting more than 185,000 jobs. These are projections rather than a final independent assessment of the impact, which will require subsequent analysis of actual tourism spending, public costs, security expenditures and local economic benefits. Nevertheless, such figures explain why hosting the tournament has strong political and commercial appeal.
U.S. infrastructure is an additional advantage in a potential future bidding process. The country has large stadiums, a developed sports-rights market, a strong sponsorship network and numerous cities capable of accommodating international supporters. Most of the venues used in 2026 ordinarily serve American football clubs, meaning that a new bid could rely on existing capacity instead of constructing an entire series of new stadiums. On the other hand, in any new evaluation FIFA would once again examine pitch dimensions, air conditioning and protection from extreme heat, transport between cities, accommodation prices, ticket accessibility and entry and visa procedures for supporters and national teams.
A second U.S. hosting opportunity in three decades
The 2026 championship was the second men's World Cup held in the United States, following the 1994 tournament. This time, the hosting arrangement was shared with Canada and Mexico, while the expansion to 48 national teams increased the number of matches, the duration of the competition and the demands placed on organizing cities. In 2026, Mexico became the first country to participate in organizing three men's World Cups, following the 1970 and 1986 editions, while Canada hosted the men's tournament for the first time. For the United States, the championship was simultaneously a sporting event, a major tourism project and a preparation of the organizational system for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
A new bid for 2038 would mean that the tournament returned to the United States after only 12 years. Such a gap would be politically sensitive because many countries wait for decades for the opportunity to bid, while the allocation of the largest sporting events regularly raises questions about geographical balance and the concentration of commercial power. Trump's proposal that FIFA award two tournaments in advance could be presented as a compromise, but it would simultaneously reduce the space for separate open bidding processes and comparative evaluations of candidates. Without an official FIFA proposal, it is unclear whether such an approach would even be legally and procedurally possible.
Another important issue will be whether Washington wants to pursue the bid independently or once again with partners. Trump's message was focused on another hosting opportunity for the United States, whereas the 2026 edition was based on a joint project involving three North American associations. An independent organization would allow revenues and political visibility to be concentrated in one country, but a joint bid could provide broader regional support and distribute the logistical burden. Neither model has currently been officially confirmed, and the U.S. Soccer Federation has not announced a formal intention to bid for 2038.
Between sporting ambition and a lengthy process
For now, Trump's demand is a political message rather than an official bid. For it to develop into a concrete project, it would first be necessary to wait for FIFA to launch the 2038 process, then secure a formal decision from the U.S. federation, government guarantees and support from cities, and prepare extensive documentation. The final decision would not depend solely on the attendance figures from 2026, but also on competing offers, the rules of continental rotation, financial guarantees and an assessment of the tournament's long-term legacy. In the years before the bidding process opens, the competition format, stadium requirements and FIFA's sustainability and human-rights criteria could also change.
For the United States, the record-breaking 2026 tournament provides a convincing initial argument: an enormous market, already constructed venues and proof that millions of spectators can follow an expanded championship across a vast geographical area. However, awarding the 2030 edition to Morocco, Portugal and Spain and the 2034 edition to Saudi Arabia means that Trump's word "immediately" should be understood as political pressure for the earliest possible cycle rather than as an achievable short-term deadline. The first realistic target remains 2038, provided that FIFA's future rules allow a bid from North and Central America and that an official U.S. project emerges.
Until then, the debate about another hosting opportunity will probably remain connected to the legacy of the 2026 championship. FIFA will emphasize the record attendance and global reach, U.S. authorities the economic and security results, and potential rivals the right of other parts of the world to organize the tournament. Trump has already clearly identified the political objective and publicly called on Infantino to support it. However, the path from a television statement to a decision by the FIFA Congress is long, formal and open to the interests of numerous national associations.
Sources:
- The Independent – report on Trump's Fox Sports interview, his demand for another hosting opportunity and the possible 2038 date (link)
- FIFA – final figures for the 2026 World Cup, record attendance, tournament format and the Spain-Argentina final (link)
- FIFA – official confirmation of the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups (link)
- FIFA – decisions of the FIFA Council on the bidding process, continental rotation and the role of Congress in selecting hosts (link)
- White House – information from the 2026 World Cup task force on host cities and the estimated economic impact in the United States (link)
- Fox Sports / Associated Press – statements by Trump and Infantino on the organizational success of the championship before the final (link)