News: FIFA President Gianni Infantino is visiting Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with lawmakers to discuss planning for the 2026 World Cup.
Infantino is meeting with the leaders of the Congressional Soccer Caucus — Reps. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) — to delve into the preparation for the upcoming World Cup. The 2026 World Cup will be played in 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Infantino is based in Florida but is making his first visit to Capitol Hill this week. Lawmakers are also expected to lobby Infantino on the United States’ bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
The World Cup is the biggest sports event in the world and comes with a long list of logistical headaches. The Soccer Caucus members will bring up a litany of economic, infrastructure and security topics with Infantino.
FIFA, global soccer’s governing body, has been hit with a wave of scandals in recent years. Infantino succeeded disgraced Sepp Blatter as head of FIFA in 2016.
— Max Cohen
