FIFA President Infantino congratulates Trump on re-election as the USA prepare to host 2026 World Cup
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in reclaiming the US presidency, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Trump, who declared victory in the election, will lead the country as the 2026 World Cup approaches—a tournament the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
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Infantino, who met with Trump multiple times during his first term as President to discuss plans towards the World Cup, shared a photo of himself and Trump on Instagram on Wednesday, November 6 with the caption: “Congratulations Mr President! We will have a great FIFA World Cup and a great FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America! Football Unites the World!”
The 2026 World Cup will be the first time since 1994 that the tournament returns to North America.
The tournament will also debut an expanded format, increasing the number of teams from 32 to 48, with 104 matches to be played across the three host nations — a 50% increase in the total number of games.
The new format will feature 12 groups of four teams, significantly extending the tournament's duration to 39 days.
This extended schedule has raised concerns among European clubs, who worry about the impact on the already congested domestic calendar, with only 16 days available for preparation between the end of domestic seasons and the start of the World Cup.
However, Infantino has assured that the additional revenue generated by the expanded tournament will be used to support grassroots football initiatives around the world.
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