President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, one of the largest sporting events in history that will be co-hosted by the United States next summer.

The move, described in the March 7 directive as a coordinated federal effort to ensure the success of the historic soccer tournament, places Trump at the helm of preparations for the event as the task force’s chief, with Vice President JD Vance to serve as second-in-command.

“We’re going to be establishing a very important task force and that’s on the FIFA World Cup of 2026, which as you know is a big event. It’s going to be the biggest event, I think,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at his side.

“Everybody knows this man to my right, he’s sort of the king of soccer, I guess,” Trump continued, referring to Infantino. “He was the one that was able to give it to us and we’re going to do a fantastic job in making you at home.”

The 48-team tournament is jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The opening match kicks off on June 11, 2026, at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca, followed by the United States’ first game in Southern California the next day.

Infantino called it a “great achievement” that the United States will co-host the event. “There will be millions of people coming” with an estimated economic impact of $40 billion and the creation of 200,000 jobs, he added.

“More than that, we will give joy and happiness to the entire world,” the FIFA chief said.

Asked by a reporter whether the tariffs on Canada and Mexico will impact the event, Trump replied, “It makes it much more exciting.”

Trump also said he plans to attend some of the matches in person.

“I would like to go, certainly to more than one,” he said. “We'll be making the rounds.”

The White House task force will hold regular meetings to assess progress, address emerging challenges, and ensure agencies remain on track. Trump can designate any member to preside over these meetings.

The tournament will take place across 16 cities, featuring 48 teams competing in a total of 104 matches.

In the United States, games will be held in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, and East Rutherford, New Jersey.