US in talks with Fifa over capitalising on World Cup success with 2029 Club World Cup

US officials have held talks with Fifa over tournament

Unclear whether White House has been involved

The United States has expressed interest in hosting the 2029 Club World Cup as it seeks to capitalise on the commercial and sporting success of staging the World Cup.

It is unclear whether there has been any involvement in the discussions from the White House or Donald Trump’s World Cup taskforce, chaired by Andrew Giuliani, who on Wednesday hailed the success of this summer’s tournament.

“Soccer is no longer a future American story,” Giuliani said. “It’s happening right now. There’s just so much demand to come to the United States to watch the World Cup.”

An unopposed joint bid from the US, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup is due to be ratified by Fifa this year.

In an unprecedented ruling during a major tournament Fifa’s disciplinary committee suspended the 25-year-old’s one-match ban, enabling him to play in Monday’s last-16 defeat to Belgium.

Trump is due to leave office in January 2029, months before the Club World Cup, but to be in post when the decision is made. Fifa has not made an announcement over the timing or process for selecting the 2029 hosts, although a decision is expected next year, most likely after the Fifa presidential election is held in April.

The USA was appointed to host the expanded 2025 Club World Cup without a bidding process, with the decision made unanimously by the Fifa Council in June 2023.

It had been widely expected that the 2029 tournament would be awarded to two of the 2030 World Cup hosts – most likely Spain and Morocco – but there has been no shortage of interest from elsewhere. The Brazilian Football Confederation has stated it would like to host, and the Guardian has reported interest from Qatar.

Another North American tournament would also be the most lucrative option for Fifa, which has been vindicated in its aggressive pricing strategy for this World Cup, with most matches selling out.