The task force will be chaired by Trump, while J.D. Vance and other members of Trump’s cabinet make up the group.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to establish a task force to oversee preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The task force will coordinate with Federal agencies in planning, organizing, and executing the 2025 Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup, the White House said in a press release.
The creation of this World Cup task force comes weeks after a report released by the U.S. Travel Association, a nonprofit group representing the travel industry, claimed the U.S. travel system is not ready to take on hosting the biggest sporting event in history. In the 88-page report, written by former government officials and aviation industry experts, one of the first recommendations was this exact step enacted by Trump: “Establish White House leadership to showcase America at premier events.” You can read the full report here.
Trump met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in front of the trophy of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which is set to kick off this summer and has a prize pool of $1 billion. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will start in mid-June of next year.
Trump will serve as the chair of the task force and Vice President J.D. Vance will be the vice chair. Per the executive order, Trump will designate an executive director, who shall “administer and execute the day-to-day operations of the task force.” Other members of the task force, according to the executive order, include:
- the Secretary of State
- the Secretary of the Treasury
- the Secretary of Defense
- the Attorney General
- the Secretary of Commerce
- the Secretary of Transportation
- the Secretary of Homeland Security
- the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
- the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
- the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor
- the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs
- the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Heads of such other executive departments, agencies, and offices that the Chair or the Vice Chair may, from time to time, designate or invite to participate.
Agencies within the task force need to submit their reports to the task force’s executive director by no later than June 1, 2025. The task force will terminate on Dec. 31, 2026, unless extended by the president, according to the executive order.