Sunil Gulati Comments on Impact of Presidential Election on US' World Cup Bid

The outcome of the 2016 United States presidential election might hinder the country's chances of hosting a World Cup in the future, according to U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati.

ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle reported Tuesday what Gulati had to say about the impending election and how it'd be "trickier" to host a World Cup if presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump wins over presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton:

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I think the world's perception of the U.S. is affected by who is in the White House, yes, so it has some bearing, sure. [...] I think a cohosted World Cup with Mexico would be trickier if Secretary Clinton isn't in the White House.

[...] Would we love to host a World Cup in the U.S. in the future? The answer is of course yes. But we're only going to do so if we have clear understanding that there's a fair set of rules and a transparent set of rules. Then we'll make a decision.

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The rules Gulati references are a hint at how FIFA's corruption and bribing scandal impacted Qatar beating out the U.S. to host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar has also been criticized for labor exploitation leading up to its prospective hosting of the event.

Russia's hosting of the 2018 World Cup may too be in jeopardy because of an investigation into FIFA's purported misconduct.

Among the inflammatory remarks Trump has made during his campaign include the proposition to build a wall at the border of the United States and Mexico. That would make diplomacy an issue if the two countries were to share the honor of hosting a World Cup.

Gulati also said he isn't opposed to "alternative scenarios" involving future World Cups, including Mexico and Canada hosting on their own.

Per Carlisle, the 2026 World Cup is the next site FIFA will decide, but it'll make the choice in 2020. Although that would still be near the end of the next U.S. president's first term, the possibility for re-election would still loom and potentially impact the perception of the USA in a negative manner.

Given the numerous stadiums throughout the U.S. and the fact the country broke prior attendance records when it hosted the tournament in 1994, there's plenty of reason to believe it's a viable World Cup destination.