Donald Trump, President of the United States, hosted the first White House Task Force meeting today, set up to oversee preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and FIFA World Cup 26™, and confirmed that it will “help plan the biggest, safest and most extraordinary soccer tournament in history.” FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, among other members of the U.S. Government and the FIFA Administration, also attended the meeting in Washington, D.C. The U.S. President confirmed Andrew Giuliani as the Executive Director of the Task Force, as well as the appointment of Carlos Cordeiro, Senior Advisor to the FIFA President, as a Senior Advisor to the Task Force.

“This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the beauty and greatness of America and we can’t wait to welcome soccer fans from all over the globe,” the U.S. President said. “I have directed my entire team to do everything within our power to make the (FIFA) World Cup an unprecedented success…It’s going to be very special. Together we will ensure that the 2026 (FIFA) World Cup will be the best-run soccer tournament the world has ever seen.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was heartened by the consistent support and commitment from President Trump’s government. “The entire world will focus on the United States of America, and America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun, to celebrate the game will be able to do that in the host cities, in the 11 cities all over the country. “We have, and the world has, full and entire confidence in the United States and in all the partners, in all the agencies to make sure that we will bring to the world something that they have never seen and they will probably never see again,” he said, adding that the two tournaments would generate almost USD 50 billion in economic output for the United States of America and create almost 300,000 jobs.

The FIFA World Cup 26, to be co-hosted with Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026, will feature 48 teams playing 104 matches across 16 cities, making it the biggest and most inclusive in the competition’s 96-year history. The FIFA Club World Cup 2025, hosted exclusively by the U.S. from 14 June to 13 July 2025, will bring together the best 32 club sides in the world for the first time, playing 63 matches in 12 stadiums across 11 cities in the biggest and most inclusive global club competition ever played.

Also in attendance were Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury; Pam Bondi, Attorney General; Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce; Todd Young, U.S. Senator; Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Senator; Darin LaHood, U.S. Representative; Bryan Steil, U.S. Representative; Kash Patel, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Steve Feinberg, Deputy Secretary of Defense; Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State; Russ Vought, Director, Office of Management and Budget; Maribel Alcantara, Department of Homeland Security Operations; and Nick Luna, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Implementation.

Central to FIFA’s participation in the task force will be Carlos Cordeiro, one of football’s preeminent business and organisational leaders, who was appointed to his current role in September 2021 to advise FIFA on new strategic initiatives to grow the game at all levels.

Previously, Mr Cordeiro designed and implemented restructuring reforms at the U.S. Soccer Federation as a board leader for more than a decade, starting in 2007 as an independent director, and, from 2018 to 2020, as its President. In 2018, he played a leading role as co-chair of the successful bid which brought the FIFA World Cup 26 to North America.