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President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will "immediately" seek to host the next available World Cup, following a successful stint as co-host this past summer.
Sunday's final, in which Spain defeated Argentina to claim its first title in 16 years, marked the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. It was the first match attended by President Trump, who appeared alongside FIFA's Gianni Infantino both in the crowd and at the trophy presentation ceremony.
"Well, I had an idea for Gianni," Trump told Fox ahead of kickoff regarding the decision to bring the tournament to North America this summer. "So he got everything going and, you know, I brilliantly said, 'Well, we'll do it,' but, you know, you could have ended up with a lot of empty stadiums. [It] didn't turn out that way.
"I think I heard 99.9%, and that's probably an understatement because I think the venues were actually overflowing. But I had a great idea for Gianni. I said, 'You have to do two countries.' So announce us again next time, and announce another country after that — it'll ease some of the frustration and the surprise.
"I think it's a brilliant idea. But based on the numbers, we will be putting in a request again right away. But I said to soften the blow, you could announce us and maybe then for the next one another country, and even one more after that. But we have to do this again, and we have to do it while I'm still around. You hear that, Gianni?"
Just days prior, Trump had urged FIFA to return the World Cup to the U.S. in the future, adding: "This time, we will leave Canada and Mexico out."
When Could the World Cup Next Be Hosted in the U.S.?
While Trump may intend to apply for World Cup hosting rights straight away, the reality is that the tournament will not return to North America for quite some time.
The 2030 World Cup will be held across Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with three matches taking place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the 100th anniversary of the competition.
FIFA regulations stipulate that confederations which hosted the World Cup cannot be involved in the following two tournaments. The 2026 edition was held in the Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) region, while 2030 is spread across Africa (CAF), Europe (UEFA) and South America (CONMEBOL).
Consequently, the 2034 tournament was limited to either Asia or Oceania, with Saudi Arabia ultimately selected as the host nation.
The U.S. would then be eligible to bid for the 2038 World Cup, at which point nations from Oceania would also be in contention. However, no country has ever hosted two World Cups within a 12-year span.
Unfortunately for Trump, his presidency will have concluded long before the World Cup can return to U.S. soil under the existing rules. Presidents are limited to two terms under the 22nd Amendment, with Trump's second term due to expire in 2028. He has, however, repeatedly floated the idea of running for a third term, at times appearing serious and at other times suggesting he is merely provoking his political opponents.