In May, President Trump named Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, as executive director of the White House Task Force for the FIFA men’s World Cup 2026.
The task force — chaired by President Trump and vice-chaired by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance — oversees preparations for the event. Seventy-five per cent of the 104 games will be played in the United States, with the remainder shared between Mexico and Canada. And Giuliani Jr. runs it day to day.
During Trump’s first term in office, he was a special assistant to the president and associate director of the Office of Public Liaison. He also ran for governor of New York in 2022 but finished second in the state’s Republican primary.
Next year’s World Cup will be the biggest ever, spread across multiple time zones and will require major coordination between city, state and federal law enforcement.
Host cities received a boost earlier this year when Congress and the White House signed off $625million of federal security funding, but collaboration is required. Giuliani now holds weekly calls with the U.S. host cities and he compares himself to a basketball point guard directing the play and ensuring that the cities have a swift port of call with the administration.
There have been questions about how the president’s domestic agenda — most notably on immigration and travel bans — may impact the tournament, while he has threatened to relocate games from cities if he does not deem them adequately safe.
The president does appear engaged: no head of state has been in the Oval Office for a public briefing with Trump more often than FIFA president Gianni Infantino this year.
Added to all this, at last week’s World Cup draw, FIFA awarded Trump its inaugural Peace Prize, while also inviting the Village People to perform Y.M.C.A, a song which has become an anthem of Trump at his rallies and events.
Following the draw in Washington D.C., Giuliani granted an interview to The Athletic, and no questions were off limits.
President Trump and Infantino at the World Cup draw (Jia Haocheng / Pool / Getty Images)
The Athletic: Can you reflect on the World Cup draw and the impact it’s going to have up to the World Cup?
Giuliani: The World Cup becomes tangible at this point. We now know the matchups. That gives us the opportunity to assess where some of the most in-demand teams are going to be playing. Then we’ll start finding out over the coming weeks where they’ll base themselves. Then we can plan to make sure the states and locals are all prepared to host these teams, not only from a security standpoint, but also from an economic opportunity standpoint.
We want to make sure areas which might be hosting teams at a base camp… this (event) may not have been on their small business administration’s radar or on their chamber’s radar. We want to make sure they’re prepared to receive a Brazil, Argentina, France or England, one of the countries that we know will travel en masse.
It would be great to involve as many states as possible in this incredible World Cup. A lot of people will come, let’s say, for an average of 10 to 12 days and will go to two to three games. That means you’re looking at eight to 10 days where they might not have a World Cup game day. There’s a great opportunity to put on their radar some of the great things they could see, not just in the host cities, but in other areas, especially in light of our 250th birthday, when you’ll have “America 250” events.
The Athletic: There have been repeated suggestions that games could be relocated due to ‘safety’ concerns. Fans are now already booking flights and hotels, having saved up for a long time. Are you able to guarantee that things aren’t going to change?
Giuliani: The president has continued to focus on not just the 11 American cities hosting World Cup games, but all of our American cities to make sure he’s doing everything possible to make it safe and secure. He wants to make sure that they have a safe experience when they come here and he’s going to continue (pressing) these cities that maybe are not doing the best job at making it safe and secure to do everything they can, to use all the resources in their power.
The president never takes anything off the table. He wants to make sure he can utilize all the leverage possible. That way, he can provide a safe experience for international travelers, but also, whether or not Americans voted for him or not, he wants to make sure he’s doing everything he possibly can to make sure cities and states are the safest place for them to live in.
The Athletic: Why do you think the president sees the World Cup as such a huge opportunity for the U.S? Also, would you expect the president to be as visible as we saw him during the World Cup draw and also during the FIFA Club World Cup final in July?
Giuliani: Two answers. One is a personal side of this, which is, as men, we’re always either trying to make our parents or our kids proud of us. Obviously, the fact that his son (Barron) is such a big soccer fan and the president is such a good dad — look at how all of his kids have turned out. He’s got this soccer connection because it’s a point of bonding for him and his son. It’s a beautiful thing. Probably, it’s a situation where the son has taught the father a little bit about the size and scope of soccer.
This is why he pushed the bid and made a unified bid with Canada-Mexico in 2018 (during his first term). He understands the size of the World Cup and how there’s no event in the world like it.
As Americans, we look at the Super Bowl, which has almost become a quasi-holiday for us. We see that about 130 million people watched the last Super Bowl, which we think is a lot of people. Then look at the last World Cup final, I believe over 1.5 billion people watched it. It gives you an idea of the scope. It’s an incredible opportunity to show off America over our first 250 years; truly American exceptionalism and the hope and promise of our next 250 years to the platform that really is the world.
Trump on stage as the Club World Cup was awarded to Chelsea (David Ramos / Getty Images)
The Athletic: Fans reported to FIFA during the Club World Cup that there was this perception ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) might be watching them at games… We also know travel to the U.S. this year has dropped a little and there seems to be anxiety from some people about what questions they may get asked when they enter the U.S. Can you give reassurance this is going to be a smooth and seamless travel experience?
(The Athletic has reported FIFA received 145 reports of human rights concerns at the Club World Cup and the highest number related to fans concerned about government policies or enforcement. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson insisted neither ICE nor Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, conducted enforcement, describing it as “another case of fear-mongering.”)
Giuliani: At least from a data perspective, let me just highlight that in the first six months of 2025, we set records in terms of the amount of dollars that international travelers spent here in the United States. That number is $126.9 billion. That’s a six-month record, so I would point out and highlight the fact that President Trump’s immigration policies have not excluded the rest of the world. What he’s tried to do very overtly… is make sure he cuts off illegal immigration, which he’s done very, very successfully while also making sure he can open the front door and welcome the world.
If you want to get your visa appointment, you can get it in less than 60 days. Then President Trump on top of that created the FIFA Pass, which is a prioritized appointment scheduling system, which will allow ticket holders the opportunity to get towards the front of the queue for their visa interview.
President Trump, yes, he’s enforcing immigration policies from an illegal immigration standpoint. But if you come through the right process, he wants as many people to come here as possible, enjoy the United States of America for the World Cup and enjoy America 250.
The Athletic: There are a couple of countries (Iran and Haiti) who have qualified and whose nationals have travel bans, which limits the potential for their fans to travel for the tournament. Are you able to lobby for this tournament to be taken into account when the administration is deciding upon all-encompassing travel bans, or is the view that ultimately security, immigration operations and enforcement will always come first?
Giuliani: It’s both. The overwhelming majority of countries that have qualified, they’ll be able to travel here. A lot just need a ESTA (visa waiver) to be able to come here. First and foremost, safety and security is the No. 1 thing when it comes to this World Cup. Every visa decision is a national security decision. That’s key to highlight.
The president, even in his restricted countries order, still gave an exemption to players, direct support staff and to immediate family for those countries on the list. So specifically, Iran and Haiti right now would still be able to compete while understanding that we want to make sure that this is a safe and secure World Cup.
I probably won’t comment any more in terms of what countries he could be considering or would not be considering. But I do know that he’s continually looking at everything he can do, not just to make this World Cup safe for American citizens, but for all those international visitors who are going to come here, while making it welcoming to all the fans that want to come here to enjoy the World Cup and have an absolute blast.
The Athletic: For the draw, how much input did the task force and the White House have? The songs that were played and the artists that were invited. Were these things which FIFA came up with, when they’re playing President Trump’s kind of anthem at the end with the Village People? Or is that something that you guys suggest?
Giuliani: It was a FIFA show. I know there were conversations that happened between President Trump and the president of FIFA, Mr. Infantino, during the Club World Cup about where the draw would be.
Would it be potentially in Las Vegas? Would it be in Washington D.C. in the Kennedy Center? But for the most part, we know that FIFA knows how to put on a show. While there was a dialogue about this or that, or this is what the president’s involvement could be, I know, for the most part, this was FIFA that put the show on.
It was probably a smart touch from their standpoint to start with Andrea Bocelli and then end with the Y.M.C.A. It is kind of amazing that President Trump has even maybe, I don’t want to say changed the Y.M.C.A. dance, but he has added a different interpretation to your traditional spelling of the letters above your head. Now he’s got his own little dance with it. I was standing a few feet away from the president and as soon as the Village People started playing, everybody in the theater started turning back to go and look at President Trump, which just shows you how excited people are to see him close out with his dance.
Trump dancing to the Village People at the draw (Mandel Ngan / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)
The Athletic: On the Peace Prize, was that something where FIFA just came to you guys and said, ‘We’d like to do this.’ Or did you guys say, ‘This could be a good idea’. How does that work?
Giuliani: Mr. Infantino went to the Summit for Peace in October (co-chaired by Trump in Egypt around the Israel-Gaza ceasefire). I think it really came out of that. But that certainly wasn’t something that we suggested from the task force or the White House. I believe it was just a matter of FIFA looking and realizing that ‘Wow, this president really is doing everything he possibly can to make peace deals in places where other presidents have never even thought possible or maybe had tried and failed.’ It was great to see him awarded for those incredible efforts.
The Athletic: Like anything related to the president, it would have divided reaction and opinion. The Democrats came out on social media and said ‘Trump couldn’t win a Nobel Peace Prize so FIFA made one up for him.’ Is there any consciousness of not making (World Cup events) too MAGA-y, so that the whole of the U.S. is into it? Or is there just a view that everyone should get behind the president?
Giuliani: First and foremost, I think peace should transcend politics. It should transcend red or blue. We should celebrate any president that’s able to bring peace to countries that could not achieve it beforehand.
It shows the shortsightedness of Democrats that want to point out politics at a moment where President Trump is doing everything he can not just to save lives, but save millions of lives around the world.
In terms of MAGA-ing up the World Cup, I don’t think that’s the case. We’re at a point in our country where a lot of people want to celebrate the history of the United States of America, believe in American exceptionalism, believe that the first 250 years of our country’s history is something that should be pointed out, should be celebrated and the World Cup is a big part of that.
I know going back to the bidding process, that was a big part of the discussions, the fact that this was going to happen over our 250th birthday. President Trump represents that. President Trump, more than anything, represents the fact that, as Americans, we don’t have to apologize any more for whatever imperfections may exist in our country’s history, we can look at the overall work of the last 250 years and what America has done for Western civilization, and truly celebrate that American greatness. I know the president certainly welcomes people of all different political backgrounds to come and celebrate America’s greatness with him.
The Athletic: There are a lot of diaspora communities in the U.S., which will make for fantastic atmospheres. But there seems to be this worry that there may be ICE enforcement around games that may keep people away from attending. Are you able to provide any reassurances on that to people who may attend these games?
Giuliani: Anybody who’s legally come to the U.S., I can reassure you… there’s law enforcement targeting people that have come here illegally. If you’ve come to the U.S. illegally, then the Department of Homeland Security has laid out a path where you can go and check yourself in, receive $1,000, go back to your country and have a process of applying legally here.
It’s part of a safety and security message. We obviously want the world to be able to come here, but they need to come here the right way. We need to make sure we know who’s coming in and who came in. Otherwise, how could we protect this World Cup to the degree that we need to? Part of that is making sure we identify who’s come into the country, and we urge people to come here the right way, the legal way.
