United States could 'handle' 64-team World Cup as potential 2038 bid teased

27 Jun 2026 11:19 BST | 6 min read

Donald Trump Gianni Infantino FIFA World Cup 2026 — © IMAGO

Matthew Judge | Editor

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The United States have teased the possibility of making a bid to host the men’s 2038 World Cup, with the executive director of the White House's World Cup task force saying the country could “handle” its possible expansion to 64 teams.

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Alongside Canada and Mexico, the US are currently co-hosting this summer’s World Cup, which is the largest in history after the tournament was expanded to include 48 teams instead of 32.

FIFA are considering expanding the format to 64 teams as early as 2030, according to BBC Sport, when the competition will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the opening three matches to be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

The 2038 World Cup is the next tournament for which a bidding process will be conducted, with Saudi Arabia set to act as standalone hosts of the 2034 World Cup.

And Andrew Giuliani, who US president Donald Trump named executive director of the presidential task force for the 2026 World Cup in May 2025, has now floated the idea of the world’s most powerful country making a bid for the 2038 competition.

In quotes carried by BBC Sport, Giuliani - the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani - said: “When you think that this World Cup may at some point expand out to 64 teams, I think the United States can handle it. Let me make sure we get through this World Cup on 19 July before we make our pitch for 2038 or other ones.

“There's no better country that's positioned to host a World Cup than the United States, and I think we're seeing that on social media. I think we're seeing that with all the fans that may be interacting with the US for the first time, or the first time in a long time, that the US truly is extremely welcoming, that we have such an incredible infrastructure.

“We have the stadiums built, so for the US, compared to other host nations, where it costs tens and tens of billions of dollars, you know, it cost us a couple of billion.”

US have been criticised for their handling of 2026 World Cup

The US - which is hosting 78 of the 104 matches to be played at this summer’s World Cup - have been widely criticised for their handling of the tournament.

In May, prices for trains and buses to World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were cut following a backlash from fans, who have also expressed their anger over ticket prices for fixtures.

© IMAGO - Iran National Team at 2026 World Cup

The US have also been criticised for their involvement in the war with Iran in the Middle East, with members of Iran's backroom staff denied entry visas for the US.

Iran switched their World Cup base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico as a result, but they still face tight travel restrictions at the tournament.

Iran denied dramatic winner over Egypt

However, BBC Sport reported earlier this week that Iran were given extra time in the US to prepare for their final World Cup group game against Egypt. The match took place at the Seattle Stadium on Friday with Iran drawing 1-1 with Egypt.

Amir Ghalenoei’s Iran thought they earned a dramatic winner - and subsequent qualification for the knockout phase - after Shojae Khalilzadeh scored a dramatic 93rd-minute winner against Egypt, only for the goal to be ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Iran thought they'd scored late to beat Egypt and secure a place in the knockouts...

But a VAR review ruled it out for offside! 😲 pic.twitter.com/joRPIQdI50
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026

Iran now face a nervous wait to see whether they have done enough to reach the last 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams, having collected three successive draws in Group G.

The US meanwhile are through to the knockout phase after topping Group D thanks to victories over Paraguay and Australia. Mauricio Pochettino’s side face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 in San Francisco on Thursday, 2 July.

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