Donald Trump 2026 World Cup Bid Tweet Prompts FIFA Ethics Rules Warning

MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images

A FIFA statement has made reference to its rules for World Cup bidding processes following a social media post from President Donald Trump that discouraged countries from going up against the United States in an attempt to host the 2026 tournament.

Trump confirmed on Twitter that the U.S., Canada and Mexico would be making a bid to host the tournament in 2026 and said "it would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid." However, FIFA regulations prevent any political interference in the process.

In a statement to Reuters, world football's governing body pointed to the regulation:

"As a general rule, we cannot comment on specific statements in connection with the bidding process. We can only refer to the FIFA Regulations for the selection of the venue for the final competition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and in particular to the Bid Rules of Conduct incorporated therein."

As noted by Reuters, the Bid Rules of Conduct clarify that no governments from bidding countries "may adversely affect the integrity of the Bidding Process and create an undue influence on the Bidding Process."

Canadian President Justin Trudeau said he was fully behind the bid:

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

Per Reuters, it's noted the only opposition to the North American package will come from Morocco, who have declined to comment after Trump's warning. A decision over the location of the 2026 tournament will be taken in Moscow on June 13 this year.

The U.S. last hosted the competition in 1994, while Mexico has held the tournament on two occasions, in 1970 and 1986

It's noted that while the United States, Mexico and Canada have the infrastructure to host such an event, the Moroccan bid is set to be popular among African and Middle Eastern nations, meaning there's no guarantee the competition will come to North America.