'The governments' responsibility' - FIFA hints that U.S. President Donald Trump could strip cities of World Cup fixtures amid safety concerns

Those cities are Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Kansas, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston and Miami. Trump has claimed that he could “very easily” get FIFA president Gianni Infantino to move fixtures if certain areas are deemed unsafe. He has previously suggested that San Francisco and Seattle could fall into that category, while there have recently been scenes of unrest in Boston.

Trump has also stated that he would happily move the 2028 Olympic Games away from LA if he felt the city was not ready to host such a high-profile event. He told reporters: "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there are unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who's phenomenal, and I would say, 'Let's move it to another location'. And he would do that. He wouldn't love to do it, but he'd do it very easily. He'd do it and this is the right time to do it.

“I could say the same thing for the Olympics. If I thought LA was not going to be prepared properly, I would move it to another location. If I had to on that one, I'd probably have to get a different kind of a permission, but we would do that.”

Infantino enjoys a close relationship with Trump and recently joined him at a Middle Eastern peace summit in Egypt. FIFA’s supremo would have the power to move games, but the organisation’s vice-president has suggested that political figures such as Trump will have little say in those decisions.

He told Leaders Week London: “FIFA makes those decisions. With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans.”

A FIFA spokesperson has, however, conceded that input from leaders such as Trump would have to be considered if safety concerns were raised. They said: “Safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide. Safety and security are obviously the governments' responsibility and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety. We hope every one of our 16 host cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfil all necessary requirements.”

A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said in response to Trump's comments regarding the 2028 Games: “The Olympic Games LA28 have the full support of the President of the United States, the Governor of California and the Mayor of Los Angeles. All of them are being extremely helpful in the preparations for these Games. This is mirrored on the operational level of the administration. There are three years to go and we are confident that LA28 will be great Olympic Games.”

ESPN report that there are “no issues with any of the 16 host cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico” that are due to form part of the 2026 World Cup extravaganza. That situation could change, but for now all of those selected to take centre stage in front of a global audience will retain their hosting rights.

The next World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, with the competition being expanded from 32 nations. Some 28 countries are already assured of their place at the tournament - including debutants Jordan, Uzbekistan and Cape Verde. Argentina, potentially with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi in their ranks, will be looking to defend the crown that they captured at Qatar 2022.