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The Trump administration’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup did not influence President Donald Trump’s decisions on Iran or his push for a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Andrew Giuliani, the senior White House official overseeing the tournament, told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview.
Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, rejected the idea that the administration’s desire for a quiet tournament had shaped US national security policy.
“I can tell you that it did not,” Giuliani said when asked whether the World Cup affected Trump’s decision-making on Iran. “It did not influence any decision from a national security perspective.”
Giuliani said the White House wants the world to come to the United States for the tournament, while making clear that the administration will not compromise on security.
“We want the world to come here and enjoy the World Cup,” Giuliani said. “But we do not want terrorists. We do not want hostile actors. We are making sure we are doubling and tripling the intelligence work to ensure that does not happen.”
Iran moved training camps from US to Mexico due to conflicts
The Iranian angle is among the most sensitive issues facing the tournament. Iran is scheduled to play two group-stage matches in the Los Angeles area, home to one of the largest Iranian communities outside Iran. Giuliani said the administration had already prepared for the Iranian team’s arrival.
“The president signed an order last year that allowed the players to enter,” Giuliani said. “All 31 players, 26 plus five alternates, received their visas.”
He said the players would be able to enter the US one day before the match.
Giuliani described the security arrangements around the Iranian team as a “very well-coordinated operation” involving US federal and local agencies.
“We have worked very closely with US Customs and Border Protection, with the Department of Homeland Security, with the FBI, and with local officials in Los Angeles to make sure this is being planned very carefully,” he said.
“We want everyone in Los Angeles to be safe. We want the Iranian national team to be safe. We want them to have the ability to compete.”
The administration is also preparing for Iranian-American fans expected to attend matches and related events.
“We also want all the Iranian-Americans who are excited to celebrate the World Cup and the fact that the team is here to be able to enjoy it,” Giuliani said. “I think Los Angeles has the largest Iranian population outside Tehran. These will be very special weeks for that community.”
Asked whether Iranian fans would be allowed to wave the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag, featuring the lion and sun symbol associated by many opponents of the Islamic Republic with a different Iranian identity, or hold protests outside stadiums, Giuliani said the federal government was approaching the issue primarily through a security lens.
“FIFA does what it does inside the stadiums regarding prohibited items,” he said. “We look at this from a security perspective. Outside the stadiums, people will be free to express their feelings. We want them to do that.”
“So long as they are not threatening law enforcement, not threatening Americans, or not threatening anyone else, they can express themselves,” Giuliani added. “That is one of the beautiful things we believe in here in the United States.”
Trump’s personal involvement in the tournament
Giuliani repeatedly tied the tournament to America’s 250th anniversary, which will be marked during the World Cup.
“This is an opportunity to host the largest sporting event this country has ever hosted and to do it in America’s 250th birthday year,” he said. “We expect more than two billion people to watch the final. There really is no bigger sporting event through which to showcase that.”
Trump himself, Giuliani said, has been personally involved in preparations for a long time.
“I have spoken with President Trump about this dozens of times, including this past weekend,” Giuliani said. “He is very excited that the tournament is about to begin, and he is excited that the rest of the world will be able to see American exceptionalism here.”
Giuliani noted that Trump was involved in the successful US bid to host the tournament during his first term.
“I remember working on this with the president,” he said. “I remember the evening when we were in the Oval Office after we knew the country had won the right to host the World Cup. He was very excited for the country.”
That evening, Giuliani said, had a “bittersweet” element for Trump, who at the time did not expect to be president when the tournament opened in 2026.
“And here we are again,” Giuliani said. “The 45th and 47th president of the United States gets to host the world.”
The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 national teams and the first to be hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Giuliani said the size of the tournament created enormous logistical and security challenges.
“The last time the United States hosted the World Cup, in 1994, there were 24 teams. Now it is double,” he said. “We have matches from Los Angeles to Boston, from Miami to Seattle, and really almost everywhere in between.”
More than 400 law enforcement bodies are involved in preparations, Giuliani said.
“We are in daily contact with those law enforcement organizations,” he said. “We are making sure the intelligence is very sharp, minute by minute, so we can help a police officer in Seattle who sees the same thing a police officer in Atlanta sees and connect the two.”
Drone threats and visa scrutiny both pose challenges
One of the issues worrying organizers is the threat posed by drones.
Giuliani said that last year, only five major security events in the US received counter-drone protection. During the World Cup, that protection will be expanded significantly.
“For 78 matches and one fan festival in each of the 11 US host cities throughout the tournament, we will be able to bring counter-drone protection to all those sites,” he said. “That is more than 150 event days in which we will be able to provide that coverage. It is an incredible effort that has taken more than a year by the federal government.”
The FBI, Justice Department, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, State Department, and National Security Council are all involved in the effort, Giuliani said.
“It is really amazing to see the work being done to protect the skies around this World Cup,” he said.
Visa issues have also become a flashpoint ahead of the tournament. Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, one of FIFA’s prominent officials, was denied entry to the US. Iraqi star Aymen Hussein was reportedly detained and questioned for hours. Other participating countries have also faced visa difficulties involving fans and officials.
Giuliani said the administration views visas and national security as inseparable.
“Every visa decision is a national security decision. That is the first and most important thing to say,” he said.
At the same time, he said the administration had cut waiting times in major soccer countries.
“In Argentina, wait times were more than 300 days just a few years ago. Now the wait times in Buenos Aires are only a few days,” he said. “In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, they were around 700 days. Think about that, 700 days for a five-time world champion. Today we have cut B1/B2 visa wait times to less than two weeks.”
Giuliani stressed that the administration would not soften security checks.
“We are not going to allow people who are hostile actors to enter,” he said. “We are carrying out the screening process. We want to process people’s applications and give them the opportunity to get appointments, but we are not changing national security procedures. We want a safe and successful World Cup, to invite everyone who comes to enjoy it, and to keep all hostile actors out.”
A message to Israeli fans
Giuliani also sent a direct message to Israeli fans.
“We want you to come to the United States for the World Cup,” he said. “Please come here. Enjoy this amazing World Cup. Celebrate America’s 250th birthday with us. We truly value this relationship. I know President Trump greatly values that special relationship. I value it as well.”
“We very much want you to be part of our 250th birthday,” he added. “So please come to the United States. Enjoy the World Cup. Enjoy all the great events.”
Trump, Giuliani said, will not attend the US national team’s opening match, though he will send a senior delegation.
“The president is very excited that the tournament is beginning,” Giuliani said. “He will not be able to attend the opening match, but several cabinet secretaries will be there to represent him. I will also be there to represent him.”
Asked what would count as success for the administration, Giuliani said the answer was simple.
“If, at the end of the World Cup, we are talking about what happened on the field, then we as a federal government did our job,” he said. “That is really a central part of it. We want to make sure the real story is the game itself.”
Still, he did not hide his hope for American success.
“You can accuse me of being a bit of a homer, but I hope and expect that the US national team will make a nice, deep run in this World Cup,” he said. “Imagine what kind of story it would be if, in America’s 250th year, the US men’s national team makes a serious run in the tournament. That could captivate the entire nation.”
Messi, Ronaldo, Haaland and the American audience
Asked which players are most exciting to the American public, Giuliani began with Lionel Messi.
“Everyone is very excited. Obviously, Messi, since coming to Miami a few years ago, has also lifted American soccer,” he said.
He also mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo and his connection to Trump.
“We have seen Ronaldo here a few times at the White House with President Trump. That was very special. Being with President Trump and Messi in the Oval Office was also a lot of fun,” he said.
The player who seemed to excite him most was Erling Haaland.
“I think it will really be amazing to see Haaland here from Norway,” he said. “Amazing.”
Giuliani said it would also be exciting to see American stars “take center stage,” including Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Weston McKennie.
“Who knows who else will come out of the shadows and become the hero of this incredible 40-day run we are about to begin,” Giuliani said.
Giuliani, 40, is the son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. He played professional golf for several years before entering politics, ran in the 2022 Republican primary for governor of New York, and served in the White House during Trump’s first term as a special assistant to the president and a senior official in the Office of Public Liaison.
Today, he heads the White House task force responsible for the 2026 World Cup.
Asked at the end of the interview which player, coach, or world leader he was most excited to meet during the tournament, Giuliani chose a broader answer.
“I don’t know if there is one specific person,” he said. “What I am excited about is America’s opportunity to show its greatness. This is an opportunity to host the world.”
“People from all walks of life, all political views, and all religious backgrounds will come to the United States and see American hospitality and American exceptionalism,” he said.
“President Trump is always very clear. When he says America First, it means America First, but it does not mean America Only. We want the rest of the world to come here, enjoy the United States, and leave on July 20, saying, 'That was an amazing 250th birthday celebration.' We will have to do it again.”
A lighter moment came at the end of the interview, when Giuliani was asked whether he could be described as the Steve Witkoff of soccer.
Giuliani laughed, said he had played golf with Witkoff in the past, and replied: “I am going to tell him you said I am the Witkoff of soccer. I really want to see what his reaction will be.”