FIFA President Gianni Infantino has participated in meetings with members of the United States Department of State (DOS) and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of a two-day visit to Washington DC.

The FIFA delegation met with United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other DHS officials, before attending a meeting at the DOS with the United States Department of State Deputy Secretary for Management & Resources Richard Verma, and other DOS officials.

“Soccer is growing in America and is the number one sport in the world, and by bringing the new FIFA Club World Cup and the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup to these shores in 2025 and 2026 respectively, we are excited to be part of making this a massive success story,” the FIFA President said. “We are involved in a range of meetings because we want to have a constructive partnership with the United States federal government, and to stress the need for their support as these tournaments provide a great opportunity for the United States to showcase to the world what we can do and that this is a welcoming country for all soccer fans.”

The meetings provided FIFA with the opportunity to present upcoming global tournaments which are set to be hosted or co-hosted by the United States in the coming years, namely the new 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the summer of 2025 and followed by the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup in 2026 (together with Canada and Mexico) featuring 48 national teams. The subsequent discussions focused on maintaining a constant collaboration on issues such as visas and immigration, safety and security, as well as transportation and other operational matters to ensure the smooth delivery of the event for all fans, teams and officials attending the events.