The World Cup in North America is coming to an end. Ahead of the final, US President Donald Trump has raised a fresh proposal, saying the United States should be given the opportunity to host the World Cup again in the future — but this time without Canada and Mexico.
Argentina and Spain will face off in the title-deciding match at New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. Earlier, the US president made his request known at a reception held at Trump Tower in New York on Friday.
“The United States should be chosen again [to host the World Cup]. But this time, leave Canada and Mexico out,” Trump told FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
In the most extensive World Cup in history, 78 of the 104 matches were played in the United States, while the remaining 26 were shared between Canada and Mexico. All knockout matches, from the quarter-finals onward, were played in the United States.
Trump appeared to enjoy hosting the World Cup with 48 countries for the first time, prompting him to once again put forward the United States as host for the tournament’s future edition.
FIFA has not yet decided on the host of the 2038 World Cup. The 2030 World Cup will be held across Africa (Morocco), Europe (Spain, Portugal), and South America (Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay), while the 2034 edition will be hosted in Asia (Saudi Arabia).
As a result, under FIFA’s current continental rotation policy, North America and Oceania stand as the main eligible regions in contention to host the 2038 World Cup. This means the possibility of the United States hosting the World Cup again after 12 years cannot be ruled out.
Trump also said that FIFA President Infantino had discussed with him the possibility of the United States and China jointly hosting a future World Cup.
Trump is also scheduled to attend the final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.
