How Trump brought the World Cup to America |
US President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
This year, North America will host the world’s largest sporting event: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played in 11 cities in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.
The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on the planet, drawing more viewers than the Super Bowl and the World Series combined. This year marks the first time since 1994 that World Cup matches will be played in the United States.
This year’s edition has also gotten attention for political reasons. The US role in hosting the tournament has been years in the making, and it’s closely tied to President Donald Trump and his unusually warm relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino has praised Trump lavishly, presenting him with gifts — including FIFA’s Peace Prize, a wholly made-up award that the FIFA president gave to Trump last November — and has reportedly visited the White House more than any other world leader during Trump’s second term.
Today, Explained co-host Astead Herndon spoke with Adam Crafton, a senior reporter at t he Athletic, who has closely covered FIFA and the growing relationship between the two men.
Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s much more in the full episode, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.
How did the US, Canada, and Mexico even get these games in the first place?
The way it works is nations bid, and they bid quite a long way out. The process for this was around 2017. It was actually during Trump’s first presidency.........