US could bid to host 2038 World Cup as task force chief touts nation's infrastructure

The United States could bid to host the 2038 FIFA World Cup, according to Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the 2026 tournament, who argues no country is better equipped to stage the global event again.

With the 2030 finals heading to Europe, Africa, and South America, and Saudi Arabia confirmed as the 2034 host, the path to a North American return opens in 2038. Giuliani stopped short of announcing a formal bid but made clear the appetite exists at the highest levels of the US government.

“This is what I’ve spoken about with President Trump, with so many of our cabinet secretaries — I think there’s no better country that’s positioned to host a World Cup than the United States,” Giuliani told the Press Association. “We have such an incredible infrastructure.”

He pointed to cost as a decisive advantage. Unlike nations that have spent tens of billions of dollars constructing new stadiums, the US entered the 2026 co-hosting arrangement — shared with Canada and Mexico — with its venue infrastructure already in place, at a fraction of the typical outlay. That financial efficiency, Giuliani argued, also makes the country well-suited to absorb any future expansion of the tournament to 64 teams.

“When you think that this World Cup may at some point expand out to 64 teams, I think the United States can handle it,” he said.

Giuliani added a personal dimension to his enthusiasm, noting he attended matches as a child during the 1994 World Cup on US soil and expressed a desire to see the tournament return.

Despite pre-tournament concerns from human rights organisations over the Trump administration’s immigration policies and their potential effect on visiting fans, Giuliani described the opening weeks of the 2026 finals as a success. “It’s so wonderful to see the world’s love affair with the United States of America over our 250th birthday. It’s been very gratifying,” he said.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that President Trump is expected to attend the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July. Trump has not yet appeared at any matches during the tournament, but Giuliani suggested his eventual arrival would be characteristically theatrical. “He likes a cliffhanger. He likes to keep you on the edge of your seat,” Giuliani said.