During the initial meeting of the White House task force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament to be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. U.S. Vice President JD Vance gave a blunt reminder to foreign fans regarding respecting immigration laws.
“Of course, everyone is invited to come and witness this great event,” Vance told reporters. “We encourage them to come, we encourage them to celebrate, we encourage them to watch games. But when the time is up, we want them to leave otherwise they will have to deal with Secretary Noem,” he quipped, gesturing to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who sat beside him at the meeting.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed Vance’s statement, embracing the anticipated flood of tourists while being adamant that visa overstays would not be accepted.
The task force meeting was led by President Donald Trump and conducted only more than a year prior to the highly anticipated soccer championship kickoff. The meeting discussed preparation and security for the global event.
Andrew Giuliani to Lead Task Force
President Trump has stated that Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, will be the executive director of the World Cup task force. Trump has also hired FIFA senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro as a senior consultant.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump hailed the upcoming tournament as a ‘major win’ for the nation. He also posted a brief anecdote about his son Barron. “He’s a little tall for soccer, but that’s okay,” Trump quipped, saying Barron regularly corrects him for using the word ‘soccer’ rather than ‘football’.
At the meeting, Trump praised Giuliani’s work ethic and athletic spirit: “It’s a big post, you better do well, Andrew,” he said, chuckling.
