World Cup 2026 Q&A: Soccer-loving congressman on ticket prices, visas, USMNT

New York Times

4 hours ago

Just under one year out from the first men's World Cup to be held in the United States since 1994, there is no shortage of challenges for the organizers of the competition and the U.S. government as they prepare to share the tournament with Canada and Mexico next summer.
The build-up to the world's most popular sporting event has already been overshadowed, at times, by trade wars between the U.S. and other countries, tensions over President Donald Trump administration's policies towards immigration and lengthy visa wait times for foreign visitors who may wish to attend the tournament. There have also been tensions with co-hosts Canada and Mexico, with the start of Trump's second term dominated by tariffs and his suggestions that Canada should become part of the U.S. He also renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
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U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood, a Republican who serves the constituents of the 16th District of Illinois, is one of the keenest advocates of soccer within U.S. politics, co-chairing the bipartisan congressional soccer caucus. He has also been present at events organized by the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is dedicated to leading and coordinating federal efforts in support of the event.
He has recently called for Trump to enact an executive order to protect the American skies from the threat of drones during the World Cup, and he spoke to The Athletic about:
Below are his answers, lightly edited for length and clarity. This interview took place prior to the U.S. airstrikes on Iran – a nation that has already qualified for the World Cup.
The Athletic: One year out from the World Cup, what are the political priorities for you between now and the tournament?
Rep. LaHood: From a practical standpoint, I view this through the lens of what the government needs to do and what we need to do to make this a successful World Cup. To create the (White House World Cup) task force was a monumental step. This put staff in place that understand the ramifications of what needs to get done; people who are attentive at the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, Department of Justice and at the FBI. We now have people engaged. They know there are asks that need to be fulfilled.
A lot of work still needs to be done on the processing of visas, as well as on the security apparatus, and particularly on drones. Then we have the logistics of getting people here and coordinating with Mexico, Canada and the 11 U.S. host cities.
World Cup organizer FIFA claims the combined impact of the Club World Cup and World Cup will be $47 billion to the U.S. economy, but this is surely very dependent on foreign travel. Are you at all concerned that perceptions of the United States at the moment may dissuade people from coming to the country?
Of course, I'm concerned. I just saw some data that showed tourism from Canada to the United States is down 40 percent. We've seen in a number of tourist destinations in the United States this year that tourism is down: in Las Vegas, New York and Florida.
We're aware of where some of that comes from because of some of the immigration policies and other things. However, I wouldn't rush to judgment that it is going to affect the World Cup. Soccer and sport transcend in many ways politics and geopolitics. There's plenty of opportunity to roll out a good PR welcoming message from the United States, and there will be people in the administration who will be engaged.
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There are a number of people that FIFA and the White House want to engage with: partnering with footballers from Europe, Africa or South America. There is a plan in place to make sure that we are welcoming and that we attract people from all over the world, so we are sending the right message, particularly for the World Cup.
The White House recognizes that we have to get it right with the World Cup in 2026, because there's a legacy of events that are going to occur in the United States: the Olympics in 2028, the Women's World Cup in 2031, the Winter Olympics in 2034, the Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033. It's important to set the precedent here by getting it right.
The president has said this will have a $40 billion economic impact on the U.S. But that is contingent on having visitors who want to come here, enjoy the United States, spend their money and watch a world-class sporting event.
Andrew Giuliani, son of Trump's former lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, is leading the White House's Task Force. Do you think he was the best person for that job?
Andrew Giuliani is the executive director but he's also co-equals with Carlos Cordeiro, who is with FIFA (Cordeiro is a senior advisor to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and a former U.S. Soccer president). That combination is positive moving forward.
Andrew has enthusiastically embraced the job. He's brought a lot of energy. He's been very attentive to the issues that have been raised. He's put together a good team around him. He asks all the important questions. He understands the enormity of the job and what it entails. So far, he's doing everything that he's been asked to do. He has the ear of the president. He understands the whole of government approach that this is going to take to get implemented. There are learning aspects of this job, but so far he's tackling those head-on.
FIFA has adopted a dynamic pricing model for the Club World Cup. From a Congressional Soccer Caucus perspective, as someone trying to grow this sport, are you at all worried that ordinary people might be priced out of the World Cup?
Well, I hope not. We'll see what happens next year when the pricing comes out for the World Cup.
Do you think FIFA should give something back to local communities by ringfencing some ticketing to make it accessible?
There's a lot of discretion there and a lot of flexibility with how they want to handle that. There's going to be a real emphasis on youth soccer, young people and getting them engaged with the fan zones.
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Does that mean everybody's going to get into a stadium to watch a game? Maybe not, but my own experience from being at the World Cup or Euros (European Championships) is that these fan zones with big TVs outside of the stadium are very enjoyable for fans to partake in. If we do it the right way, we are going to enhance the game tremendously and continue to grow the game here. We can't lose sight of that from a congressional soccer standpoint. We're keenly aware of that. If and when we need to push FIFA in a particular direction, we're prepared to do that.
Before the Club World Cup, the CBP in Florida was posting on Facebook about how it was going to be 'suited and booted' to support FIFA during the first round of games. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) subsequently confirmed they may attend games. Are you concerned about the message that sends?
I'm not concerned about that, I've been in touch with FIFA people. Some of that is more of a reflection on some of the protests we've seen in Los Angeles and related to that spillover. I don't think it has anything to do with people wanting to check the immigration status of people coming in. That's not something that's been on my radar screen.
Visa wait times have improved considerably over the past year. But there have now been cuts made to the State Department, so is there a concern they may lengthen again?
Colombia was at 700 days and they've been reduced to 400 days. It's coming down. I think seeing the progress being made there, that's going to be replicated in other areas where it needs to get done. I'm not concerned about cuts in the State Department… There's not going to be cuts on the folks that are going to make the World Cup a success.
We have to have people who feel comfortable and can come here under the visa regime that we have in place and have proper security protocols in place. So my sense is there's going to be adequate and appropriate funding through the State Department to effectuate that.
Focusing on the soccer, is the USMNT going to hit form? And what have you made of some players electing not to go to the Gold Cup this summer, as well as Mauricio Pochettino's first few months in charge?
Well, to be honest with you, I almost wish we had to qualify for the World Cup because that level of competition would have been better. On paper, I like our new coach. He brings a lot to the table, but there seems to be a lackadaisical approach with our players.
These were two friendlies and I shouldn't put much stock into friendlies, but people are getting worried. There's a nervousness about the current team and the level of commitment. But right now, it's not there.