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President Donald Trump said Friday he would like to see the United States host another FIFA World Cup on its own, suggesting the tournament return without Canada and Mexico as co-hosts.
The president made the remarks during a FIFA World Cup reception at Trump Tower in New York City ahead of Sunday’s championship match between Argentina and Spain.
Addressing FIFA President Gianni Infantino, President Trump praised the tournament and encouraged the organization to bring it back to the United States.
“You should choose the United States of America again. This time we will leave Canada and Mexico out,” he said.
He then joked that FIFA should “pick somebody else” afterward to “take some of the anger, hatred and steam out of everyone.”
FIFA has already selected the hosts for the next tournament. The 2030 Men’s World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
President Trump also revisited his involvement in the controversy surrounding U.S. forward Folarin Balogun’s red card during a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Trump said he contacted Infantino to recommend a review of the decision, which was later overturned, allowing Balogun to avoid suspension.
The reversal drew criticism from some soccer fans and prompted allegations that FIFA had been improperly influenced. President Trump defended the outcome during Friday’s event.
“You know, it was so much better the way it worked out because there’s no controversy,” he said. “They won the game, and our team had all of its players.”
Turning to Infantino, he added, “You made another great decision, if you think about that. No, you’ll never get credit for it.”
The FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain is scheduled for Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. President Trump is expected to attend the match and join Infantino in presenting the championship trophy to the winning team.