US in Talks With FIFA to Host the 2029 Club World Cup
FIFA has held talks with United States officials about hosting the 2029 Club World Cup, looking to build on the commercial and sporting success of this summer's tournament, the Guardian reported (theguardian.com). The US has not committed to a bid because FIFA has not yet confirmed how hosts will be selected.
A crowded field already forming
The 2029 edition had been widely expected to go to two of the 2030 World Cup hosts, most likely Spain and Morocco. That hasn't stopped others from circling. Brazil's football confederation has formally stated its interest, and the Guardian has reported separate interest from Qatar, which has floated a winter staging similar to its 2022 World Cup. FIFA has not held a competitive vote for a major tournament host since 2018, when the US, Canada and Mexico bid beat Morocco's for this summer's tournament, with Morocco then awarded 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal.
The US already has a head start
The US hosted the expanded 2025 Club World Cup without any bidding process at all, appointed unanimously by the FIFA Council in June 2023. FIFA's separate push to expand the Club World Cup to 48 teams by 2029, a move backed by major European clubs, could work in the US's favor given the infrastructure already in place from this summer.
A political layer FIFA hasn't addressed
It's unclear whether the White House or Donald Trump's World Cup taskforce, chaired by Andrew Giuliani, has been involved in the discussions. Giuliani said this week that "soccer is no longer a future American story, it's happening right now," pointing to demand to watch the World Cup in the US, per the Guardian. FIFA's closeness with the US government was also on display this week when Trump asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review a Folarin Balogun red card, and FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended the resulting ban. Trump is set to leave office in January 2029, months before the tournament would be played, but would still be president when the host decision is made.
FIFA has not announced a timeline for the selection process. A decision is expected sometime next year, likely after the FIFA presidential election in April.
