Donald Trump has made a surprise call for the World Cup to return to the United States 'immediately', despite Fifa's rules preventing the country from hosting until 2038. The US president made the claim in a pre-match interview with Fox Sports ahead of the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, which he will attend on Sunday. Trump pointed to high demand for the World Cup in the US, citing impressive attendance figures from the 2026 tournament, which had an overall attendance of 6.6 million across 16 cities in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Fifa's rules state that countries belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments are not eligible to host the next one, meaning the US will not be able to host again until 2038. However, Trump claims that demand for the World Cup in the US is so high that it should be hosted again while he is still in office. He acknowledged that there would be 'shock' and 'anger' at such a decision, but insisted that it is necessary.
Trump's relationship with Fifa president Gianni Infantino has been a topic of controversy in the build-up to the World Cup, alongside issues such as ticket prices, visa problems, and the ongoing conflict with Iran. Trump has also made a bold prediction that Argentina will beat Spain in Sunday's final and successfully defend their World Cup title, citing Lionel Messi's abilities as a key factor.