Trump Pushes for US-Only World Cup, Cutting Out Mexico and Canada

Trump Eyes a Solo US World Cup Bid

President Donald Trump wants the United States to host a future FIFA World Cup without Mexico and Canada as co-hosts, according to reporting by Politico. The push marks a significant shift from the current arrangement, in which all three North American neighbors are sharing duties for the 2026 World Cup already in the pipeline.

The 2026 tournament was awarded to the United Bid, a joint proposal from the US, Canada, and Mexico that FIFA approved back in 2018. Sixteen American cities are set to host matches, with the final scheduled for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Canada and Mexico are each slated to host a handful of group-stage games. Trump, it appears, would prefer the next opportunity be an exclusively American affair.

The report from Politico does not specify which future World Cup cycle Trump is targeting, but the ambition signals that the administration sees major international soccer as a geopolitical and economic prize worth pursuing alone.

Strained Relations With Co-Hosts

The timing is hard to ignore. Trump has imposed steep tariffs on both Canada and Mexico since returning to office, and his rhetoric toward both neighbors has been notably sharp. He has repeatedly referred to Canada as a potential 51st state and kept up pressure on Mexico over border and trade disputes.

Hosting a World Cup carries enormous financial upside. Estimates for the 2026 tournament put potential economic impact in the billions of dollars across host cities. Concentrating that activity entirely within US borders would, from Trump's perspective, maximize the domestic benefit.

FIFA has not commented publicly on any future hosting discussions beyond 2026. The next available men's World Cup hosting slot after 2026 would be 2030, which FIFA has already awarded to a multi-continent bid involving Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, with centenary matches also planned. The 2034 tournament is set for Saudi Arabia. That puts any realistic solo US bid in the 2038 cycle at the earliest.

What a Solo Bid Would Actually Require

Hosting a World Cup alone is not unprecedented. The United States did it in 1994, running the entire tournament across nine cities without co-hosts. That edition remains one of the best-attended World Cups in history by total match attendance.

A solo bid for a future tournament would require formal engagement with FIFA, infrastructure commitments, and a successful candidacy process. The US already has the stadiums, the airports, and the hospitality infrastructure. The main variable is FIFA's preference, which in recent cycles has leaned toward spreading the event across multiple nations and continents for political and commercial reasons.

Whether Trump's preference translates into a formal US Soccer Federation bid is another question. FIFA's bidding processes run years in advance, and a government push would need to align with the federation's own strategy.

Context Inside the 2026 Preparations

For now, the 2026 World Cup goes ahead as planned with all three co-hosts. Canada will stage games in Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico will host in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. The US carries the bulk of the schedule, with matches from Los Angeles to Boston.

Any turbulence in the diplomatic relationship between the three countries has not, at least publicly, disrupted those preparations. FIFA and the local organizing committees have continued their work on venues, ticketing, and logistics.

Trump's interest in a future solo tournament may be more of a stated preference than an active policy campaign at this stage. But given his administration's broader posture toward Canada and Mexico, the idea of cutting them out of a future World Cup fits neatly into the pattern of economic and political pressure he has applied to both since taking office again in January 2025.