Trump Establishes Federal Task Force To Ensure Security for 2026 World Cup

The United States faces an unprecedented security challenge when it hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup in 11 cities from June 11 to July 19. To ensure each venue is as safe as possible, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday to establish a federal task force to oversee preparations for the event.Mr. Trump will chair the task force, and Vice President Vance will serve as Vice Chair. Homeland Security will head the day-to-day planning. The federal agency will coordinate agencies on the federal, state, and local levels.The host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. Each city is expected to attract more than 480,000 visitors. The Task Force will also oversee summer preparation for the 2025 Club World Cup.“It’s important that everyone that comes to America feels safe, feels welcome,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said following Mr. Trump’s signing of the executive order at the White House. “That’s why it’s important to put together this White House task force. There are many topics to deal with and we want everyone who comes to feel safe and feel happy.”The White House said in a release that hosting the World Cup, “aligns with President Trump’s broader economic agenda, using the global spotlight to attract foreign investment and strengthen America’s position as a top destination for sports and tourism.”In addition to the two FIFA events, the U.S. is celebrating its 250th Birthday in 2026 and will welcome the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles in 2028. Mr. Trump pointed out how he was responsible for bringing the World Cup and Olympics to the United States, but didn’t expect to be president when they occurred.He anticipated being re-elected in 2020, but the election was “rigged,” he said. “So now I’ll be President during the World Cup and the Olympics that I was instrumental in getting.”Be careful what you wish for. Terrorism continues to follow major global events. The Paris Olympics got off to a shaky start when arsonists attacked three high-speed rail systems in France, impacting thousands trying to attend the Games. Meanwhile, Israel’s Olympic soccer team, taunted by crowds, was under round-the-clock protection during its time in Paris. The recently held Super Bowl in New Orleans received unprecedented security a month after a 42-year-old Texas man drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens of others. While there were no incidents at the Super Bowl, the tragedy in the French Quarter strengthened the resolve for better coordination between federal, state, and local authorities.Security must be better than it was for the Copa America held in the States last summer. Chaos erupted at Bank of America Stadium when several Uruguay team members exchanged blows with Colombia fans, who were throwing water bottles at the players and harassing their families.A week later, the start of the Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, was delayed for 75 minutes after more than 7,000 fans without tickets tried to force their way into the stadium. An estimated 550 police officers were overwhelmed, forcing a lock down of the stadium. The players for Argentina and Colombia had to cut the warmups short and leave the field until order was restored.Mr. Trump said he expects the World Cup to “be a big event. The biggest event.”Mr. Infantino estimated the economic impact of hosting the two FIFA events will generate $40 billion between now and next year, and create 200,000 jobs. “More than that, we’ll give joy and happiness to the entire world,” he said, “and this is priceless.”

Trump Establishes Federal Task Force To Ensure Security for 2026 World Cup

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