By Naveen Athrappully
Contributing Writer
If American cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup games and 2028 Summer Olympics are deemed to be insecure, the events will be moved out of these places, President Donald Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday.
The World Cup is set to be held across three nations: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In the United States, games are scheduled at the following locations: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Except for Dallas and Miami, other locations are considered Democratic-leaning regions.
The Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in Los Angeles.
One of the reporters highlighted that some of the cities hosting the matches, such as Seattle and Los Angeles, are resisting the Trump administration’s deportation enforcement and crime crackdown initiatives. He asked whether the games could be moved from these cities if they do not cooperate with the administration.
“We’re going to make sure they’re safe. … If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup or for the Olympics … but for the World Cup in particular, because they’re playing in so many cities, we won’t allow it,” Trump said. “We’ll move it around a little bit. But, I hope that’s not going to happen.”
Trump has previously sent the National Guard into Los Angeles, where some of the games are scheduled, to maintain law and order.
In June, he ordered 4,000 National Guard members to be deployed there, citing the need to protect federal buildings and personnel amid protests against immigration enforcement operations targeting illegal immigrants.
As of early September, 300 National Guard members were still deployed in the city, according to a Sept. 4 statement from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
Last month, the president ordered National Guard troops to be deployed in the District of Columbia to combat violent crime and secure public safety in the American capital. The troops are scheduled to remain in place through Nov. 30.
On Sept. 15, Trump signed a presidential memorandum to send National Guard members to Memphis, Tennessee, to “support public safety and law enforcement operations” in the city.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump said: “As you probably know, we’re going into Memphis and we’re going into some other cities and very soon we’re going to go into Chicago. It will be safe for the World Cup. If I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it into a different city. Absolutely.”
The FIFA World Cup games are scheduled for between June 11 and July 19 next year. The games are expected to see 104 matches being played by 48 teams.
The final draw for the games, which will determine the group stage matches, will be made on Dec. 5 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
On Aug. 22, Trump announced that the center would hold the World Cup draw. At the time, Trump said FIFA estimated that 6 million fans would attend the games. The event is expected to generate 185,000 jobs and add around $30 billion to the American economy, according to the president.
“No sporting event attracts more attention, more fans, more viewers, or more revenue than the FIFA World Cup,” he said.
Trump also talked about visa procedures for fans coming into the United States for the games.
“They’re going to have a very easy time getting in. Certain countries are going to be very, very easy, and other countries are going to be obviously, a little bit more difficult,” he said.
In March, Trump signed an executive order establishing the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026. He appointed himself as the task force’s chief, with Vice President JD Vance serving as second-in-command. In May, Trump announced the appointment of Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as executive director of the task force.
