Trump Eyes Solo US World Cup Bid, Pushing Canada and Mexico to the Sidelines

United States President Donald Trump has signalled his desire to see the United States host a future FIFA World Cup on its own, effectively excluding Canada and Mexico from any joint arrangement — a sharp pivot from the tripartite 2026 tournament that all three nations are currently preparing to stage together.

The remarks, reported by Politico, come as the 2026 World Cup — already awarded jointly to the US, Canada, and Mexico — is in advanced stages of preparation. Despite that existing arrangement, Trump has made clear he envisions a future tournament hosted by the United States alone, raising questions about Washington’s appetite for multilateral sporting partnerships even with its closest neighbours and trading partners.

The comments arrive against a backdrop of significant diplomatic and economic tension between the United States and both Canada and Mexico, with Trump having imposed or threatened sweeping tariffs on goods from both countries in recent months. Analysts have noted that the president’s sporting ambitions increasingly appear to mirror his broader foreign policy instincts, which tend to favour bilateral or unilateral arrangements over multilateral cooperation.

A US-China Co-Hosting Proposal Enters the Picture

Perhaps more striking was a separate revelation contained in the same reports: that FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reportedly floated the idea of a future World Cup co-hosted by the United States and China. Such an arrangement would represent a remarkable geopolitical spectacle, bringing together two nations whose rivalry has defined much of the current era of global competition across trade, technology, and military influence.

No formal proposal or timeline has been confirmed, and FIFA has not made any official announcement regarding future hosting decisions beyond those already awarded. Nevertheless, the suggestion alone is likely to generate considerable debate, both within football’s governing bodies and among policymakers in Washington and Beijing. Whether the Trump administration would view such a partnership as an opportunity or a complication remains unclear.

For European observers, the developments carry particular relevance. Several European football associations and UEFA have long-standing interests in future World Cup hosting rights, and any shift in FIFA’s strategic direction toward large-scale geopolitical co-hosting arrangements could affect the continent’s own ambitions. A joint bid from several European nations has been discussed in various quarters for the 2030 and 2034 cycles, though the latter has already been awarded to Saudi Arabia.

The 2026 World Cup remains on course, with matches scheduled across 16 host cities in the three North American nations, including major venues in the United States such as MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is set to host the final. Canadian and Mexican officials have not publicly responded to Trump’s latest remarks, though any formal move to restructure hosting arrangements at this stage would face enormous logistical and contractual obstacles. For now, Trump’s comments appear to reflect a personal preference and a long-term aspiration rather than any imminent policy action — though with the current administration, the distance between aspiration and executive intent has often proved shorter than expected.