U.S. President Donald Trump targeted 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities Seattle and Los Angeles as the ongoing discourse regarding city safety for the tournament began anew.
On the day FIFA announced the FIFA PASS, a new service that will allow tourists a “prioritized visa interview,” Trump discussed two West Coast cities set to host World Cup matches next year after being asked about mayor-elect Katie Wilson in Seattle.
“If we think—and I will have to speak to Gianni about this—the mayor of L.A. is incompetent, everyone knows it,” the president said (via ).
“If we think there is going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city. We have a lot of cities who would love to have it and would do it very safely … Gianni, can I say we will move the event to some place it will be appreciated and safe?”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino responded: “Safety and security is the number one security for a successful World Cup. We can see people have trust in the United States because we have record-breaking ticket sales … People know they will be coming here to experience a safe and secure World Cup. This of course is the responsibility of the government and obviously we will discuss, we are working together, we must ensure all fans coming from abroad can experience a celebration of coming together of the sport and with 100 percent safety.”
