
Several World Cup host cities in the U.S. monitoring political situation amid President Trump's immigration crackdown
The U.S. host cities for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 admitted on Monday they were 'monitoring closely' the current political situation in the United States amid rising tensions over President Trump's crackdown on immigration — but insisted visitors will be made welcome at the tournament.
FIFA's President Gianni Infantino claimed earlier this year that 'America will welcome the world' for next year's tournament, which will be shared across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Infantino said: 'America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun and to celebrate the game will be able to do that.'
Advertisement
Infantino has also claimed that FIFA's tournaments in the U.S., first the Club World Cup in 2025 and then the World Cup next year, will generate almost $50 billion in economic output for the U.S. Foreign travellers are integral to hitting these targets for both FIFA and the host cities.
However, this past weekend has seen protests develop against the government, and clashes between protestors and the authorities. During an event in New York City to mark a year out from the 2026 tournament, host city officials were forced to address concerns that the current political environment may dissuade visitors from travelling to the United States. California has been a hotspot for the developments, with President Trump sending in the National Guard to protect immigration agents and the state of California now say they will file a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The administration last week imposed wide-ranging travel bans against over a dozen countries.
Speaking in New York City, the Philadelphia host city executive Meg Kane said: 'For us as host cities, we recognize that our charge as host cities is to be prepared to welcome whomever is in our city and to make them feel welcome when they are there. There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level. There are going to be geo-political issues that we don't even know right now that are going to affect the tournament next year.
'So we recognize that we're planning within uncertainty. One of the things that I think we all recognize is that we have to be really good at operating within that uncertainty. For each of our cities, we want to be prepared to make any person that makes the decision to come to the United States for this World Cup, feel that they are welcome.
'We do not play a role necessarily in what is happening in terms of the decisions that are made. What we can say is that the current administration — while there are certain situations that we are watching, that we are certainly monitoring closely — has been extremely supportive of the World Cup.'
Advertisement
'It has to be recognized both now in the second term under President Trump — but also in the first term when President Trump was in power when the letters of intent were signed – how important FIFA World Cup is to elevating the nation and how important it is to sporting side. There is that understanding. I think we feel that that has been communicated to us at the federal level.
'We all share confidence in the fact that we're going to prepare our cities the best that we can. We allow for FIFA to continue having constructive conversations with the administration around visas, around workforce, around tourism, and that we will be prepared for whatever comes our way.'
Speaking to The Athletic, Jason Krutzsch, Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, said: 'We're actively monitoring. It's all unfolding in real time.'
Asked to explain what monitoring actually entails, he added: 'We're all learning about it right now just how it's all unfolding and we're gonna use the information and figure out how to work across all the cities to deliver the most exceptional experience that we can next year. Meg said it on the stage to just really focus on (the fact that) people are coming and we need to be prepared for that, and we're going to be prepared for whoever is wanting to come. Our markets will be prepared to welcome them with open arms and deliver an exceptional experience.'
(Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNBC
19 minutes ago
- CNBC
Elon Musk's favorability among Republicans dropped 16 points since March, Quinnipiac says
Elon Musk's official role in the Trump administration recently came to an end. Many Republicans won't be sad to see less of him, according to the results of Quinnipiac University's latest public opinion survey. While a majority of Republicans still hold a favorable view of Musk, the number fell to 62% in the poll out Wednesday, down from 78% in March, Quinnipiac said. Overall, the Quinnipiac poll found that 30% of self-identified voters surveyed in the U.S. hold a favorable opinion of Musk, according to polling from June 5 to June 9. Republican and Democratic voters remain deeply divided in their views of the world's richest man, who contributed nearly $300 million to propel President Donald Trump back to the White House. Only 3% of Democrats surveyed said they held a favorable of view of the Tesla CEO, who was once seen as an environmental leader appealing to liberal values. Musk didn't respond to a request for comment. Musk and Trump had a very public falling out last week that started with Musk's disapproval of the president's spending bill and escalated into an all-out war of words that played out on social media. Musk said on Wednesday that he regretted some of the posts he made about Trump last week, adding that "they went too far." Even with a slide in his favorability, Musk is still popular among Republicans after his time running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an effort to dramatically slash the size of the federal government. Among the Republican respondents to the early June poll, 80% rated Musk and DOGE's work as either excellent or good, while 13% said it was either not so good or poor. In the March poll, 82% of Republicans surveyed said they thought Musk and DOGE were helping the country. Read the full survey results here.


Washington Post
21 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Pr. George's police chief is a finalist for a job in Phoenix
The city of Phoenix said Wednesday that Prince George's County Police Chief Malik Aziz is a finalist in its nationwide search for someone to lead the police department in Arizona's largest city. The news circulated among Aziz's officers in Maryland, many of whom learned of the chief's job search from a Phoenix news release announcing him as one of three finalists. The Prince George's County Police Department declined to comment. The news of Aziz's potential departure comes as Aisha N. Braveboy (D) prepares to take over as Prince George's County executive on Juneteenth. Braveboy, who has served as state's attorney since 2019, was elected to the role in early June after the job was vacated mid-term by Angela Alsobrooks (D), now a U.S. senator. It is not uncommon for new county executives to bring in their own Cabinet members or hire new people into key leadership roles. As the top law enforcement officials in Prince George's County, Braveboy and Aziz worked alongside each other since 2021, when he was hired to reform the police department amid nationwide calls for racial justice and police accountability. 'As states attorney my office had a good working relationship with Chief Aziz,' Braveboy said in a statement Wednesday. 'I wish him the best.' Acting county executive Tara Jackson said in a statement that Aziz 'has done an outstanding job leading our police department through challenging times.' At a recent news conference, Aziz touted an overall decrease in crime, with total crime down 16 percent compared with this time last year. His annual summer crime initiative is in full swing, which focuses on crime reduction and community engagement during the summer months. A Texas native, Aziz came to Maryland after decades in law enforcement in Dallas, where he garnered a national reputation as an advocate for community policing and reform. He had served as the national chair of the National Black Police Association and worked on President Barack Obama's task force on 21st century policing in 2015. He advocated for the Justice Department to collect annual demographic statistics from all police agencies to hold them accountable for diversifying their command ranks, according to the task force's final report. Alsobrooks hired Aziz in March 2021 and instructed him to overhaul a department that has long had a contentious relationship with county residents. He took over as the nation and the county were grappling with the Black Lives Matter movement and widespread calls for reform. He vowed to build a strong relationship with reform advocates and community partners. Tamara McKinney, vice president of the Heels Off Gloves On Boxing Foundation, said Aziz once showed up to a boxing ring to support the organization. When he noticed a young boxer was without boxing shoes, he found a sponsor to assist the group. They were able to buy 16 to 18 pairs of shoes for boxers who couldn't afford the equipment, McKinney said. 'I think he made a concerted effort to change the mind of the community about having such a negative outlook on police,' McKinney said. Before coming to Prince George's, Aziz had been a finalist for chief positions in cities across the country, including Milwaukee, Miami and his hometown of Dallas, where he last served as deputy chief of the Dallas Police Department. Phoenix officials said the three finalists will speak at a public forum on Monday. City officials said they hope to announce the new chief in July.


Washington Post
22 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement leaves game in 9th after banging knee diving for a grounder
ST. LOUIS — Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement left in the ninth inning Wednesday against St. Louis after banging his knee in the eighth when he dove for a grounder. Clement needed some attention but finished the inning. He was replaced in the field by Addison Barger for the ninth, and Toronto beat the Cardinals 5-2 . After the game, in an on-field interview with broadcaster Sportsnet, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said: 'Ernie's a hockey player. He should be fine. We just wanted to be careful with him and not make it worse.' Clement had three hits, including his fourth homer of the season that gave Toronto a 5-2 lead in the fifth. He raised his batting average to .280 for the season. ___ AP MLB: