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The Trump administration said Friday it wants FIFA’s policies on transgender athletes to align with U.S. policy as preparations move forward for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which FIFA has informed President Donald Trump will be hosted by the United States.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, told Politico that FIFA has notified the administration of the United States’ selection to host the tournament.
Giuliani said the administration expects discussions with FIFA to include the organization’s eligibility rules for women’s competition.
“It is important that the Women’s World Cup does not violate the policy of the United States of America in that it is important that women play in the Women’s World Cup and not biological men,” he said.
“That’s one of the things from our standpoint that will be really key in making sure that that is something that is good before any government guarantee discussions get going,” Giuliani continued.
He added that if FIFA adopts policies consistent with the administration’s position, other discussions related to hosting the tournament should proceed smoothly.
As host nation, the United States is expected to negotiate a series of standard agreements with FIFA covering issues such as visas, security, customs procedures and tax arrangements.
Under FIFA’s current regulations, national soccer federations are responsible for verifying players’ eligibility before submitting tournament rosters. FIFA does not conduct mandatory or routine sex verification testing but requires federations to investigate “any perceived deviation in secondary sex characteristics” as part of the eligibility process.
FIFA is expected to officially announce the hosts for the 2031 and 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cups later this year. The United Kingdom is widely viewed as the leading contender to host the 2035 tournament, while the United States has previously staged the event in 1999 and 2003.
The U.S. women’s national team is also the tournament’s most successful program, having captured four World Cup titles, the most of any nation.