US eyes 2038 World Cup bid with expanded 64-team tournament in mind

The United States is already considering a bid to host a future World Cup — potentially in 2038 — with the country’s infrastructure deemed capable of handling an expanded 64-team tournament, according to the head of the American task force overseeing the current competition.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, told the Press Association that while it was too early to formally commit to another bid, he was confident the US was better placed than any other nation to take on the role again. The US is currently co-hosting the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“I think there’s no better country that’s positioned to host a World Cup than the United States,” Giuliani said. “We have the stadiums built, so for the US, compared to other host nations, where it costs tens and tens of billions of dollars, it cost us a couple billion.”

With Europe, Africa and South America sharing hosting duties in 2030, and Saudi Arabia staging the 2034 edition, the next realistic window for a North American return opens in 2038. Giuliani pointed to the prospect of FIFA eventually expanding the tournament to 64 teams as a further reason the US would be well suited.

“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. “Let me make sure we get through this World Cup on July 19 before we make our pitch for 2038 or other ones, but there’d be nothing more gratifying — as somebody who went to a couple of World Cup matches as an eight-year-old in 1994 — to see this come back to the United States again in the coming decades.”

Giuliani also reflected on the positive atmosphere across host cities during the opening weeks of the 2026 tournament, despite concerns raised by human rights groups ahead of the competition over the potential impact of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on domestic and visiting supporters.

“It’s so wonderful to see the world’s love affair with the United States of America over our 250th birthday,” he said. “It’s been very gratifying.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that President Donald Trump is expected to attend the final in New Jersey on July 19.