FIFA secured a concession from the White House as President Donald Trump announced that match ticket-holders for next summer’s World Cup will have access to advanced appointments for tourist visas at U.S. overseas consulates — but FIFA’s respite was short-lived as Trump warned host cities including Seattle and Los Angeles may be in danger of having their games relocated due to “safety” concerns.
In an extraordinary conference alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office, in which the World Cup trophy took pride of place, Trump also said he would be prepared to launch “strikes” in 2026 World Cup co-hosts Mexico due to concerns about drug trafficking.
Trump and Infantino were joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
The event was principally called to announce the new FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA Pass) but Trump press conferences inevitably end up in different places and this one also encompassed the Epstein files and U.S.-Venezuela relations.
One of the major concerns for FIFA’s government affairs team in the lead-up to the World Cup has been troublingly long wait times for visa appointments at U.S. consulates around the world. This threatens to impact fans of nations who have already qualified for the World Cup.
As an example, the current wait time for an appointment in Bogota (Colombia) is 11 months, while Quito (Ecuador) is 9.5 months and Casablanca (Morocco) is 6.5 months.
For some of the nations competing in the tournament, including many in Europe, as well as Japan, South Korea and Australia, access should be easier as they are part of a visa waiver program — ESTA — to enter the U.S. This system means citizens of these countries can travel without obtaining a visa, so long as their trip for tourism or business does not exceed 90 days; however, those traveling from many possible contending nations for the World Cup do require visas. This includes Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, among many other Latin American nations, as well as large swathes of the Middle East and Africa.
The State Department has previously succeeded in reducing extremely long wait times in Argentina and Brazil. The cause was helped by $50million set aside “to reduce passport backlogs and reduce visa wait times” in a bill signed into law by President Biden in March 2024.
At the World Cup in Qatar, visitors were able to expedite their entry into the gulf state by applying for a Hayya card, which was effectively a fan pass for World Cup ticket-holders that doubled up as the visa for the tournament.
The newly announced FIFA PASS for the U.S. does not equate to this. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated: “The United States is offering prioritized appointments so FIFA World Cup fans can complete their visa interviews and show they qualify.”
He warned “a ticket is not a visa and it doesn’t guarantee admission to the U.S.” but said those who apply with a ticket could get an interview within “six to eight weeks”.
However, applicants will still be subject to the same level of stringent vetting, questioning and security clearances as any other individuals seeking to enter the country. The Athletic has reported previously that the U.S. government, even under President Biden, had been loathe to make any more concessions for FIFA, and officials, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to talk publicly, had pointed out it was unrealistic to expect the U.S. to follow the lead of countries such as Qatar or Russia, because, they argued, those countries are not deemed globally to be desirable places for people to seek permanent residence.
Regardless, it marked a concession of sorts for FIFA and a possible good news story for Infantino. Yet as the news conference developed, questions were opened to the media.
Both Trump and Infantino spoke during Monday’s news conference. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)
Trump was asked about the new mayor-elect of Seattle, Katie Wilson, who is a democratic socialist. He was asked how closely he will be watching crime in the city.
Trump said: “If we think — and I will have to speak to Gianni about this — the Mayor of L.A. is incompetent, everyone knows it…If we didn’t go in early on, not only would you have had the fires but you would have had total insurrection in Los Angeles. If we didn’t go in, (the police) said we could not have done it without the federal government.
“We did a great job. If we think there is going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city. We have a lot of cities who would love to have it and would do it very safely. If we think there is a problem in Seattle, where there is a liberal, communist mayor… I watched her over the weekend, wow that is another ‘beauty’ we have got there. Gianni, can I say we will move the event to some place it will be appreciated and safe?”
Infantino answered: “Safety and security is the number one security for a succesful World Cup. We can see people have trust in the United States because we have record-breaking ticket sales. Tickets are almost two million sold already. People know they will be coming here to experience a safe and secure World Cup. This of course is the responsibility of the government and obviously we will discuss, we are working together, we must ensure all fans coming from abroad can experience a celebration of coming together of the sport and with 100 percent safety.”
Trump was then asked if he had a timeline for relocations in mind given tickets are already on sale and host cities are selling sponsorship packages and any moves will impact local businesses.
“The governors and mayors are going to have to behave,” he replied. “In California, you have a problem. You have high crime and a place that just suffered great fires…so here is the story, I love Los Angeles. If they want help during this, I would love to send in the National Guard or whoever is necessary. I want it to be great. I love Los Angeles. I love the place.
“If we think there is going to be crime, if we are obstructed by the Governor (Gavin Newsom) — maybe he won’t obstruct us — I would love for him to call and say we would like help. If there is even a hint of a problem, we want to get in there before a problem occurs. We want it totally safe for Gianni and FIFA. I would be honored to help California. We can be there in 24 hours and do a great job.”
Asked for the message he would send to local businesses, Trump said: “Tell your governor to ask for federal help. We would love to help them.”
Trump was then asked if he would launch strikes or place troops in Mexico.
He said: “Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? Okay with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs. Mexico is — look, I looked at Mexico City over the weekend, there’s some big problems over there.
“If we had to, would we do there what we’ve done to the waterways? You know, there’s almost no drugs coming into our waterways anymore.”
Asked if he would get Mexico’s permission, he said: “I’ve been speaking to Mexico. They know how I stand. We’re losing hundreds of 1000s of people to drugs. So now we’ve stopped the waterways, but we know every route.
“We know the addresses of every drug lord. We know their address. We know their front door. We know everything about every one of them. They’re killing our people. That’s like a war. Would I do it? I’d be proud to. I’d probably go into Congress and say, ‘Hey’ — and you know what? The Democrats and the Republicans would both agree, unless they’re crazy, and they are a little crazy on the Democrat side. But we have lost hundreds of 1000s of people a year — death, and that’s not talking about family destruction.
“That’s talking about death, and much of it comes through Mexico. So let me just put it this way. I am not happy with Mexico. OK? Thank you very much.”
Earlier this month, FIFA announced that Infantino will present the inaugural ‘FIFA Peace Prize’, which Trump is likely to receive, at the World Cup draw on December 5 in Washington, D.C. The award is designed to acknowledge “individuals who have helped to unite people all over the world in peace”, football’s world governing body said.
The World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, will begin on June 11, 2026.