Could Trump endanger the 2026 World Cup bid?

Amidst the United States men’s national team's (USMNT) horrific World Cup qualifying campaign and the consequently chaotic U.S. Soccer presidential election, the United States' joint bid (with Mexico and Canada) to host the 2026 World Cup has largely been left alone. Competing against Morocco — which would be only the second African country, after South Africa in 2010, to ever host a World Cup — the tripartite bid that was originally considered a slam dunk now poses unique challenges for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).

With an expanded tournament of 48 teams, the three countries already have the stadiums, hotels and infrastructure in place that Morocco would have to build. It also helps that by 2026, every inhabited continent except Oceania will have hosted the tournament since the last North American-based World Cup, in 1994.

The 1994 World Cup — the first time the United States hosted the event — catalyzed the creation of Major League Soccer (MLS), the most successful professional soccer league in the history of the United States. It also inspired thousands of kids to drop their favorite sport and opt for the beautiful game.

Unlike the 2014 World Cup, which crippled Brazil economically, the 1994 edition left a previously bankrupt USSF with a $50 million surplus, which was used to grow the game at a grassroots level and help MLS take off. The biggest cultural event in the world again presents U.S. Soccer with an opportunity to grow the game economically and culturally to unprecedented levels.

But the 2026 World Cup is no guarantee, and in fact, the United States' negative international profile — especially in light of the unpopular Trump presidency — has turned the bid from a slam dunk to a pull-up jump shot.

To win the bid, the host nation(s) must garner 104 of the 211 FIFA member states’ votes when the voting takes place on June 13. ESPN reports that many soccer officials from those federations have problems with Trump’s travel ban, which impacts mostly majority-Arab countries.

Trump’s disparaging remarks toward minority communities and other countries — such as calling Haiti and several African states "shithole countries" — also hurt the United States' international profile. Trump’s "America first" mentality raises questions regarding the U.S.'s ability to tolerate diversity for an event that will include teams from 48 nations and fans from many, many more.

While Trump likely won't be near the Oval Office in 2026, member state officials have every right to judge the U.S. as it currently presents itself on the international stage. The World Cup bidding process is inherently political, as host nation hopefuls must convince the rest of the FIFA nations of their ability to host the tournament and why they deserve to do so.

Trump’s isolationist policies and rhetoric present a small, but substantial, roadblock to the 2026 World Cup bid. The world will be a different place in 2026, and hopefully, the actions of a few will not impede the greatest event on earth from coming to American shores and taking soccer from the shadows to mainstream American culture.