Donald Trump took to Twitter to discuss to the 2026 World Cup hosting bid on Thursday, and now FIFA has responded in kind.
FIFA referred to guidelines prohibiting the influence of politicians in soccer matters in response to the president saying, “The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup, it would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?”
“As a general rule, we cannot comment on specific statements in connection with the bidding process,” they said in a statement to Reuters UK. “We can only refer to the FIFA Regulations for the selection of the venue for the final competition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and in particular to the Bid Rules of Conduct incorporated therein.”
FIFA regulations specifically warn against national governments taking action that could “adversely affect the integrity of the Bidding Process and create an undue influence on the Bidding Process.”
Contrary to FIFA, Mexico president Enrique Pena Nieto issued a more favorable response. “We can have differences but football unites us. Together we support the candidacy of Mexico, Canada and USA as the headquarters of the World Cup 2026,” he wrote on Twitter.
Morocco is the only country competing with the USA, Mexico, and Canada joint bid. A vote will take place on the 2026 World Cup hosting rights at FIFA’s general congress on June 13.