Trump aide says World Cup to showcase US strength

Washington: The United States is preparing to host what the White House says will be the largest sporting event in history, with FIFA World Cup 2026 expected to draw millions of visitors and offer a global platform to showcase the country during its 250th anniversary celebrations.

Speaking at an Atlantic Council event in Washington, Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, said his mission was simple: “To make this the greatest sporting event in world history.”

The tournament, featuring 48 teams and jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will include 78 matches in the US and more than 100 games across North America.

“I think preparations have been fantastic,” Giuliani said, highlighting security, transportation and visa processing as key areas of focus. He said every World Cup match in the United States would be organised “like a Super Bowl”, with multiple security perimeters, extensive screening, and counter-drone protections.

According to Giuliani, all 78 matches in the United States and fan festivals in all 11 host cities will have counter-unmanned aerial systems coverage. He said recent federal legislation and training programmes had enabled state and local law enforcement agencies to support security operations throughout the tournament.

Describing the scale of the event, Giuliani said: “This is unique, completely.” He noted that while a Super Bowl concentrates security and logistics in one city for a week, the World Cup would effectively involve “seventy-eight of those over the course of thirty-nine days.”

The White House official also stressed the diplomatic significance of the tournament, which coincides with celebrations marking 250 years of American independence.

“What an incredible opportunity to be able to show off American exceptionalism, the true greatness of the United States of America to the largest platform that you can imagine,” he said.

Giuliani said the administration had worked closely with Canada and Mexico on issues ranging from security to public health measures. He cited coordination on Ebola-related health restrictions and trilateral cooperation on counter-drone operations as examples of how the three countries had aligned preparations for the event.

On travel and visas, Giuliani said the federal government had undertaken a “whole of government effort” to facilitate entry for fans while maintaining security standards. He said visa waiting times in major football nations such as Argentina and Brazil had been sharply reduced, and that more than five million electronic travel authorisations had already been processed for visitors from qualifying visa-waiver countries.

Addressing concerns about security threats, Giuliani said: “Right now there are no credible threats,” while adding that intelligence agencies continued to monitor potential risks closely.

He also defended heightened screening measures for some visitors and officials, saying the administration was committed to welcoming fans while preventing “bad actors” from entering the country. “We are not going to let bad actors into the United States for this World Cup or for any other reason,” he said.

Asked what success would look like when the tournament concludes, Giuliani said the focus should remain on the sport itself. “If we are encapsulated by the beautiful game on the field, then that’s what success will look like.”

IANS