Fifa expects host cities to be ready for 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Fifa expects that the 16 host cities will be ready to receive the matches of the World Cup in 2026, the organization stated in a statement sent to AFP this Wednesday (15), after the President of the United States, Donald Trump, mentioned the possibility of relocating some matches due to security concerns.

“We expect each of the 16 host cities to be prepared to successfully host the events and to meet all necessary conditions,” commented a Fifa spokesperson, in a statement that also includes the other two organizing countries, Canada and Mexico.

“Security and protection are, obviously, the responsibility of governments, who decide what is in the interest of public safety,” he added.

Relocation of matches

The reaction from the world’s top football authority comes a day after Trump stated that Fifa president Gianni Infantino would not be against relocating World Cup matches scheduled for American cities if necessary.

“If someone is doing a bad job and I feel the conditions are not safe, I would call Gianni, the head of Fifa, who is phenomenal, and say: ‘let’s move it somewhere else.’ And he would do it,” said the American president to journalists at the White House.

Trump made this statement when asked in an interview about the meeting he had with the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, whether the matches scheduled for Boston, one of the American host cities, could be transferred.

The Republican politician and Infantino met last Monday in Egypt, where the Fifa president joined world leaders to discuss the peace process in Gaza.

The Trump administration sent the National Guard to several cities governed by his opponents from the Democratic Party, despite resistance from his political adversaries, arguing that the measure was necessary to combat crime and left-wing activism.

None of the mentioned cities recorded widespread riots or uncontrolled increases in violence.

USA will have 11 cities hosting World Cup matches

In total, 11 U.S. cities will host World Cup matches, which will take place from June 11 to July 19 next year.

Among the major Democratic cities, Boston will host 11 matches; San Francisco and Seattle, six each, and Los Angeles, eight.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.