FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday dismissed concerns that the Trump administration’s tough border policies would wreak havoc with the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking to a private meeting of the FIFA Council, Infantino praised President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance for their commitment to the tournament and enthusiasm for welcoming foreign fans, according to an industry official familiar with the remarks.
An immigration crackdown at the U.S. frontier — which has included tourists being detained on arrival on menial grounds — has sparked fears that fans risk not being able to travel safely to the World Cup, the premier sporting event on earth.
In his remarks to FIFA’s top brass, described to POLITICO, Infantino went on to disparage the media for its coverage of a World Cup organizing summit in Washington this week attended by Trump and senior members of the U.S. government.
Infantino said he was amused at press reports of the taskforce meeting that questioned whether the White House’s strict border rules would be eased for traveling supporters.
He told the FIFA Council — the world football governing body’s top decision-making group — that the Trump administration’s insistence that visitors go home when their visas expire was common practice across the globe.
The remarks underscore that while Infantino has been criticized for his close relationship with Trump — including attending the presidential inauguration in January and promoting a FIFA crypto coin in the White House — he is in lockstep with the U.S. president even while speaking behind closed doors with the world’s most powerful football officials.
Infantino noted that he wants to focus on the message he’s hearing from the White House: that fans will indeed be welcome at the 48-team tournament next summer.
Vance had attracted scrutiny after he said that “we’ll have visitors probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games. But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home, otherwise they’ll have to talk to [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem.”
The U.S. will host the 2026 Men’s World Cup (along with Canada and Mexico), and will also stage this summer’s expanded Club World Cup.
A spokesperson for FIFA did not immiediately respond to a request for comment about Infantino’s remarks.
Infantino is scheduled to attend more meetings with Trump next week in Saudi Arabia, which will host the 2034 Men’s World Cup as the culmination of an aggressive move into global sports.
Elena Giordano contributed to this report.
