American World Cup host city officials assured on Monday that overseas fans would be welcome at next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico despite "uncertainty" amid ongoing concerns over visas, border controls and social unrest.
In a briefing in New York that came just over a year from the opening game of the tournament on June 11, 2026, officials said President Donald Trump's administration remained "extremely supportive" of the World Cup.
Since returning to power, Trump has started a global trade war, threatened to annex Canada and launched a border crackdown that has led to harsh treatment of foreign visitors attempting to enter the United States.
Trump's immigration offensive has, in turn, led to civil unrest, with clashes in Los Angeles over the weekend triggered by large-scale raids last week.
Eleven American cities will host the bulk of the games at next year's World Cup, which is being co-hosted by three nations for the first time and has been expanded to include 48 teams.
Executives from the local organising committees for the 11 US World Cup venues gathered in New York on Monday to brief on logistical aspects of the tournament, including transportation, stadium access, fan zones, as well as general access to the United States.
"For each of our cities, we want to be prepared to make any person that is coming and makes the decision to come to the United States or come to this World Cup feel that they are welcome," said Meg Kane, head of the Philadelphia organising committee.
'EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE'
Kane said while officials were planning "within uncertainty" due to matters taking place at national and international level, the Trump administration was firmly behind the tournament.
"We do not play a role necessarily in what is happening in terms of the decisions that are made," Kane said. "What we can say is that the current administration – while there are certain situations that we are monitoring closely – has been extremely supportive of the Fifa World Cup."
Alex Lasry, the chief executive of the New York/New Jersey World Cup committee said officials were bracing for "millions" of fans inside and outside the stadiums irrespective of the political climate.
"I think sports transcends geopolitics," Lasry told AFP. "I think we've seen that for Olympics. We've seen it for other World Cups, in Qatar or Russia.
"People want to come to these mega sporting events, and they're going to travel to ensure that they're able to cheer on and see their team play.
"Our job as a host committee is to make sure that we are putting on an event and making sure that our city and our region is ready to welcome everyone who's able to come to the World Cup," added Lasry, who was previously an assistant secretary for tourism in President Joe Biden's government.
Los Angeles World Cup committee vice-president Jason Krutzsch said organisers were working to ensure fans "understand that they are welcome in Los Angeles and will have an amazing World Cup experience."
"We're working closely with the administration," Krutzsch said, adding that Trump's World Cup Task Force was established to "make sure that we can welcome fans from around the world and deliver an exceptional experience".
As well as hosting games at the World Cup, Los Angeles will also stage the Super Bowl in 2027 before hosting the 2028 Olympics.
"We really want to make sure that 2026 goes well," Krutzsch said. "We're really focused on delivering an exceptional experience in 2026 for the world.
"But they're also learning opportunities (...) to be successful in 2028."