Andrew Giuliani, White House Task Force Executive Director on the FIFA World Cup 2026, and Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, have hailed the on going soccer festival as the largest and greatest sporting event of all time.
The two senior United States of America (USA) officials, who briefed the media Friday, at the New York Foreign Press Center, stressed that in terms of safety, commercial success, flawless coordination, and the showcasing of America’s culture and values, the event that ends tomorrow, Sunday, remains unrivalled.
Here are excerpts from the briefing:
MODERATOR: Welcome to the New York Foreign Press Center. My name is Melissa Waheibi. I’m happy to see those in the room, and to those joining online, hello to you as well. Today’s briefing is on the safe, secure, and successful World Cup. We’re delighted to have Andrew Giuliani, White House Task Force Executive Director, and Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs. So they will start with opening remarks, and then we’ll have a time of Q&A, which I will moderate.
MR GIULIANI: I’m happy to join you here today as we wrap up the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As I mentioned in D.C. last week, we’re on the verge of completing what is already the largest, and what will no doubt be remembered as the most successful, international sporting event in history. On behalf of the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, I’m proud to reflect on what this 2026 FIFA World Cup has meant to the United States.
It was President Trump’s vision that secured this World Cup in 2018 as the 45th President of the United States during his first term, and it’s been his leadership that has guided us to this unprecedented moment during his 47th presidency, his second term. President Trump’s vision has come to live, and we are closing out the most attended, most viewed, most secure, and most successful World Cup in history. More than 6.5 million people have attended FIFA World Cup matches, more than double – or I should say more than the previous two World Cups combined. And we’re on our way to doubling the attendance record from the 1994 World Cup, which, coincidentally, was also held right here in the United States of America.
Stadiums were filled with 99.7 percent capacity. I remember hearing a lot of questions, both from friends here locally and then from abroad, about whether or not there’d be empty stadiums. Well, 99.7 per cent capacity, and I could tell you the last two matches will be sellouts as well. So I have to see if that ticks up to 99.8. I’d like 99.9. I don’t know if I could get to 99.9, but I’d like to get there.
Nearly eight million fans have attended FIFA fan fests nationwide, and I hope all of you have an opportunity to attend some of the incredible fan zones, whether it’s been here in the five boroughs of New York – my personal favorite is Staten Island there – or maybe somewhere else around the country, maybe in the National Mall in D.C. I don’t know if you got to see any of those beautiful sights right there, but watching the match there with the Capitol in the background was really, really incredible.
Viewership records for soccer here in the United States have been shattered, and billions of viewers across the globe have tuned in to see America at its very best. While the results are impressive, I also want to focus on the long-term impact and the lessons learned from this extraordinary experience.
The true legacy of this World Cup extends far beyond the scoreboard. First, the economic impact. Host cities welcomed millions of visitors, revitalized their hospitality industries, improved transportation, and renewed investments in local business districts. Dallas right now is projecting over $2 billion in economic activity just during the tournament, while Seattle businesses reported sales up to 10 times – 10 times – a typical day. Across the host and base camp cities, communities will continue to benefit from improved infrastructure, and the impact will only grow as these tourism dollars are reinvested into local economies, supporting the small businesses that drive American innovation and competitiveness.
Another long-lasting success story is our international cooperation. I’d like to congratulate our partners Canada and Mexico on putting together a fantastic job cohosting. They each hosted 13 matches each, and they did a fantastic job. Visa modernization, information-sharing, and collaborative planning proved that you don’t have to choose between welcoming millions of international visitors and keeping your citizens and those international visitors safe.
I will let Mora speak to that, my great friend Mora Namdar, who has really, really led this process. I get a lot of the credit for all the work that Mora Namdar and her team at Consular Affairs does and the work that Secretary Rubio does. And I can’t wait for her to speak here. But it’s been really almost unbelievable how the entry process had been streamlined, and visa appointment wait times have plummeted under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Namdar, Secretary Rubio, Secretary Mullin, and, of course, my good friend President Donald Trump.
We also were successful in collaborating with our international partners on safety and security. The FBI hosted the International Police Cooperation Center, which collected representatives from federal agencies and law enforcement from 44 team countries and all 16 host cities across North America, including co-host nations Mexico and Canada. So in one room operating as a secure, real-time command post, this collective of law enforcement officers enabled real-time intelligence sharing and collaboration to address threats across host cities and beyond borders.
In addition to the international coordination to keep the matches safe within the United States, over 50 federal departments and agencies, alongside over 400 state and local law enforcement organizations, have been working together for the past year, and they continue to work together through when that final whistle blows on Sunday. This partnership and information sharing has ensured and continues to ensure that we are prepared for any potential threats.
The United States has the best law enforcement in the world, and their professionalism, their dedication, exemplify American ideals. I personally thank you, all those men and women in blue. If you get the opportunity this weekend or at some point next week and you see somebody – throughout the heat of this summer, for them to do the incredible work of protecting the stadiums, protecting the fan festivals, protecting all of the different hotels, where they were – didn’t matter what country you were from; they went out there, scarified the time this summer with their familes, and did it. So please, thank a law enforcement officer if you see them for their dedication this week.
And now, coming out of this incredible World Cup, the structures that we created for coordination will be the foundation for protecting large events in the future. And man, what a lineup we have here in the United States. I want to specifically call out all that has been achieved in counter-drone security. Thanks to the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the federal government has seized more than 700 drones flying in restricted airspace around stadiums and fan festivals.
Beyond the the detections of more than 1,600 drones over the past 36 days – so 1,600 drones have been detected in our temporary flight restrictions, three miles wide around the stadiums, one mile wide around the fan fests, 1,000 feet up around the fan fests, 3,000 feet up around the stadiums. These host cities are now equipped with permanent counter-drone capabilities thanks to the $500 million in funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill.
And just to give you a perspective of all the work that’s been done on this over the last 13.5 months, it really, really has been incredible. It starts with President Trump signing the Air Sovereignty Task Force Executive Order. That created the Air Sovereignty Task Force. We on the White House Task Force work hand-in-glove with Dr. Gorka, who ultimately led that effort right there. At the same time, President Trump made sure that this $500 million counter-UAS pot would be in the One Big Beautiful Bill. We on the White House Task Force worked very closely with the Air Sovereignty Task Force to make sure that the first $250 million of counter-UAS reimbursement to these state and locals would go to the 11 host states and adjoining states – right, New York’s not hosting a match but obviously hosting a lot of events – and to the National Capital Region in light of all the SEAR-level events that were going to be here.
On top of that, we worked to make sure that the SAFER SKIES Act got passed in December in the NDAA. What that did was that set the groundwork to allow state and local law enforcement the authority and the ability to be able to make sure that they could push the button to mitigate against drones. But that wasn’t all. The FBI had to stand up a schoolhouse in Huntsville, Alabama that would train state and local law enforcement and gain expertise on that. Then – hopefully soon to be – Attorney General Blanche, he actually had to go and deputize these state and local law enforcement so that way they would have the ability to sit with the FBI at fan festivals. Feds took all 11 sites at stadiums, but we ended up having each fan fest, each official fan fest, and each stadium covered for the 78 matches and every single day that an official fan fest was open.
When you take that and you compare it to 2025, five SEAR-level events around the United States of America had counter-drone capabilities. This year, for the World Cup alone, 326 events. That shows you what operating in Trump time actually can do and how you can protect stadiums, you can protect gatherings, American citizens, and our international friends.
Finally, one of the legacy items that I love – the partnerships and the people. Our task force brought together, as I mentioned before, 50 federal agencies, who then built networks across state and local governments and nonprofit and private-sector organizations as well. One of our biggest legacies – it’s not a stadium or a building, but the relationships and the partnership model that will be the foundation of what we do when the United States hosts the Olympics and every other future major sporting event during this golden age of sports in America. And the people – soccer brings together people who may not share the same language, may not share the same religion, may not share the same political beliefs, but they share the excitement of the beautiful game. At this perfect moment during America’s 250th birthday, visitors experienced American greatness, generosity, and hospitality, while Americans embraced culture from every corner of the world. Americans fell in love with the World Cup, and the world fell in love with America again.
It’s the Scots kinship in Boston. I think they alone probably added a couple billion dollars to New England GDP from what I was seeing. It’s the Japanese showing the incredible respect for the stadium. It’s the Norwegians rowing around the United States of America. It’s the Dutch orange bus which – look, I’m a New York Nicks fan. I’ve been a little busy the last two months so I didn’t really get to watch much basketball. I didn’t get to any games and I did not get to the ticker tape parade here in New York. I was trying to chase down that orange bus, but I couldn’t get on that orange bus. Too bad. We’ll just have to do that during the next World Cup here in the United States. I think it’s going to be sooner rather than later.
It’s the tiny nation of Cabo Verde, the Davids taking Goliath and Messi’s Argentina to extra time. It’s Kansas’s love to the Algerian Desert Foxes. It’s the love of Waffle House and Buc-ees and ranch dressing. And it’s the United States national team inspiring a nation and showing their depth of character. Even in their lowest moment after the loss to Belgium, what did they do? They thanked the fans. They came together in the middle of the pitch and they prayed together. This is a team that we’re honored to have represent the United States of America.
Serving as the Executive Director of the White House Task Force has been the greatest honor of my career and one of the greatest honors of my life. I have witnessed extraordinary dedication from host cities, law enforcement, volunteers, and countless public servants, and seen what is possible when we all unite behind a common purpose.
Our efforts strengthened economies, deepened international friendships, and most importantly allowed millions of fans and families to enjoy unforgettable memories in a safe and welcoming environment. I remember as an eight-year-old going to the World Cup with my parents, and one of the things in this job that I have tried to take with me is all the focus on getting people into the United States, all the focus on keeping people safe when they’re here, getting them around the country, all the legacy items. I’ve wanted people, whether it’s Americans or international friends, to be able to see this World Cup through the eyes of an eight-year-old, and I think we’ve seen that here – not just around the country but around the world.
And as we pass the torch to Morocco, Portugal, and Spain – I really don’t want to pass the torch – I couldn’t even get it out right there – but as we pass the torch to Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, who will host the World Cup next, we do so with optimism and friendship. Get ready for an experience so much bigger than what happens on the pitch.
So with that, let’s go for these final two matches. We’re looking for an historic showdown between the 2010 World Cup champion Spain and, look, the greatest of all time, Messi. I mean, the way that he called for the ball after the first 80 minutes there yesterday, the way he drew over that defender on the first goal right there – unbelievable. I mean, did you guys see just – he was calling for it. He said give me the ball now – it reminded me of Michael Jordan in the day. Again, as a Nicks fan he broke my heart enough. I’m sure the English can feel the same way and we can go have a pint at the pub here talking about that. The way he called for that ball was unbelievable. And then that beautiful cross where he put it right on his head – unbelievable.
And beyond that we look forward to hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics, potentially the 2031 Women’s World Cup, and the Winter Olympics coming back to Salt Lake in Utah in 2034. And then I like to say who knows what’s next. With President Trump at the helm, the best is yet to come.
And with that, I’m happy to introduce my great friend, somebody who made all the success of this Task Force possible in terms of getting in the millions of international friends, Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar. Mora.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NAMDAR: Thank you. Appreciate it. So first and foremost, of course thank you for Andrew. He gives more than credit when credit is due and has been an incredible leader in this process. And getting to know you and your lovely wife has been one of the greatest joys of this process, and I’m so happy to work with you. We could not have a better person leading the charge for sports in America.
Thank you all for being here. So a tough act to follow when you have Andrew Giuliani leading the charge, but as we close this historic tournament I wanted to thank everybody in the team of Consular Affairs. Our Bureau is more than capable. I was so extraordinarily lucky to inherit such a great team of over 13,000 people. It’s the largest Bureau at the State Department. So we do visas, we do passports, we do all American citizens overseas, and all of that came together for the World Cup. Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership and as part of this whole-of-government coordinated, orchestrated approach, the Department of State designed and implemented a rigorous and efficient visa process that successfully facilitated travel to the United States for millions of fans as well as officials, national delegations, and of course the teams themselves.
And how did we do this? Well, first, under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, we dramatically reduced wait times. Applicants in more than 80 percent of countries worldwide have been able to schedule a U.S. visitor visa interview appointment in fewer than 60 days, and in many cases much, much less.
Second, we introduced a completely innovative tool that was called FIFA PASS. So this is a first-of-its-kind tool that allowed people with tickets to the games to essentially schedule an interview and ensure that they had that interview in time for kickoff. This is a tool that we will be using going forward in other similar sporting events.
And third, to respond to demands for a visa appointment in the surge, we assigned more than 680 additional staff around the world – Consular staff – that allowed us to ensure that more than 2 million additional visa appointments became available.
So the numbers are pretty staggering, but the team at Consular Affairs was ready to take on the task at hand, and I think we did a great job, as Andrew pointed out, but really it’s due to each individual Consular officer making sure that they did the work overtime to ensure a great result. Security remains our top priority. As Secretary Rubio said, a visa is a privilege and not a right. So in addition to being extremely efficient, as I’ve outlined, our visa process for the World Cup and our security process was extremely rigorous.
We continue to demonstrate we can do both. We can make sure that our security posture is rigorous and is well-meaning, and also let in the fans that legitimately want to be here and enjoy the United States of America. I think one of the things we loved most was seeing fans from around the world see what America is for themselves and what a beautiful and amazing country it truly is. Despite some of the things they may have heard otherwise, they could see the truth of America for themselves. And getting those fans here to see the country was a great pleasure and a great honor.
One of the other things that we did was support Americans traveling abroad. I realize this group is mostly focused on the visa side of our work, but the Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans at home and abroad. So I’ll take a few minutes to touch on our support for Americans who travelled to Mexico and Canada.
So our embassies and consulates in Mexico and Canada prepared for months ahead of time to best serve Americans traveling to those cities. They conducted – those cities in those countries – rigorous training in crisis management services and exercises, and undertook coordination with local government and local law enforcement. Through our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, known as STEP, we sent our regular safety and security updates to Americans who registered for their travel to Canada and Mexico. We also increased staffing to provide prompt consular assistance to Americans who traveled for the tournament. This includes replacing lost and stolen passports, providing consular services with medical emergencies, and other critical tasks.
So looking ahead, we will be utilizing all of these systems to organize a safe, secure, and successful 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles and other major U.S. hosted events. So thank you, and I look forward to your questions. And again, thank you to Andrew for leading the charge on this incredible team.
MODERATOR: Great, thank you. (Applause.)
So this is time for Q&A. If you have a specific question for one of our principals, please address them so. And if you just have a question, they will determine who best to answer.
MR GIULIANI: She’s going to get all the tough questions; I get the easy ones. (Laughter.) So —
MODERATOR: Thank you. And then also please make sure you’re on mic because we do have friends watching online. We’ll start in the front.
QUESTION: Hi. Mathias Ask with TV 2 Norway. You talked about threats, but I think right now most people worry about the wildfire smoke. Is there any concern at all about the final on Sunday concerning what we’re seeing here in the tri-state?
ANDREW GIULIANI: Yeah, there’s been discussion about it, and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in FIFA headquarters there, so we’re monitoring closely. I know that the Spanish team came to Montclair, I believe, yesterday. Wasn’t sure if they were actually going to come in or maybe stay out there, maybe out of the area so they could practice and come in maybe a little bit later. But it’s certainly something that I know that FIFA is discussing. I’m meeting with President Infantino of FIFA today (Friday). So I know that’ll be one of the discussion points that we end up talking about.
QUESTION: Rob Harris from Sky News. What do you say to critics of Gianni Infantino who suggest he might be unsuitable to be re-elected as (FIFA) president because he bowed to pressure from Donald Trump to lift Balogun’s ban, and the fact that —
MR GIULIANI: First of all, the premise of the question is wrong. So the premise that you just said there was that he bowed to pressure of Donald Trump. You’re assuming that President Trump pressured Gianni Infantino. So the premise is wrong. So if you want to re-ask it, you can.
QUESTION: Certainly. The perception around the world, then, is that. I mean, what do you say to those around the world who have certainly looked on at this World Cup and seen that Donald Trump has controlled FIFA at this World Cup and ordered Gianni Infantino —
MR GIUILIANI: I would say President Trump cares about fair play at the ballot box and he cares about fair play on the pitch. When you think about the fact that you had a FIFA referee in there in the 64th minute that improperly used VAR in that moment – a FIFA referee should know that. That’s like for us in American football, right, those – whether or not you’re going to use replay during a pass interference call. Somebody who’s at the very top of their profession should know that. Then you add to the fact that he was questioned in a match-fixing investigation just a few short years ago in Brazil for, quote, “issuing improper red cards.” We put billions of dollars – billions of federal dollars – on the line. We want to make sure this is a safe, secure World Cup where we got plenty of international visitors in, millions of international visitors in, get them around the country. We want to make sure that this game and this World Cup was filled with integrity. I think the decision was absolutely the right decision, and I applaud FIFA for making that decision.
QUESTION: Are his critics at UEFA wrong, then, that this damaged the integrity of football?
MR GIULIANI: Absolutely.
QUESTION: Can I ask a separate question, which is: Were Argentina’s players wrong to use a World Cup stadium to claim sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, which is territory of your great ally, the United Kingdom? And should those Argentina players who politicized a World Cup match be banned from playing in the final?
MR GIULIANI: Look, we believe in our First Amendment rights here in the United States of America. I think this is going to be an unbelievable final, right, when you think about Argentina, the incredible comeback that they were able to make on the English team who was really good. A lot of people thought that this would be the year, finally after 60 years, that England would make a final, but they will now have to wait until 2030 or later. But Messi is one of the greatest of all time. And in terms of the ability, the opportunity to be able to make those statements, they have the ability to do that in the United States of America.
QUESTION: We are two years away from the Olympics in Los Angeles. There will be soccer at the Olympics. One of the big things Donald Trump has talked about is not allowing transgender women to play in women’s sports. FIFA has not introduced that policy. The International Olympics Committee has asked sports to consider it. Does FIFA need to introduce the ban that the IOC believes should be adopted to prohibit biological men from competing in women’s football at the Olympics?
MR GIULIANI: I’ll answer this I think very easily, right? Actually, no, I’m going to go a little bit more. In February of 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order. I forget the number of it, but I believe the title was Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports. He has been intent to make sure that he protects a level playing field for women, for all those women that work their tail off to be able to make a World Cup, to be able to make a college team, so then that way they do not have to compete against biological men.
And I’ll look even further than the Summer Olympics in 2028. I’ll look at the Women’s World Cup. If you guys caught me, I said potentially the 2031 Women’s World Cup. I believe we want to host this World Cup, this Women’s World Cup, but we’re going to make sure that it is in fact only women that are playing in the Women’s World Cup. This is a common-sense issue, guys, when you think about the size, the speed, the strength.
We want to make sure, and Cresident Trump is really a trailblazer in this, take a look at the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States of America, having the very first woman ever. This is a President who’s employed more females in senior-level positions than any other president in the history of the United States of America. He leads from ahead and he’s going to make sure that he protects women and their right to be able to play against women, whether it’s on the playing field in college or whether it’s on the greatest stage, the Women’s World Cup in 2031.
QUESTION: Hi. Marc Pitzke, Der Spiegel, Germany. Two questions. One, I want to follow up on Infantino. Would you recommend him for re-election? You’ve gotten to know him over the last couple of months, years. If so, why?
MR GIULIANI: So I think Gianni Infantino – the partnership that he has had with the U.S. Government, with President Donald J. Trump, has led to not just the greatest soccer tournament ever but really one of the greatest cultural events ever. I think FIFA would be foolish not to re-elect him by unanimous margins. This is a man who’s taken a World Cup, expanded it to 48 teams, created – like I said – the greatest cultural event that we’ve seen in international sport. And on top of that, I think FIFA is going to make five times the amount of revenue off of this World Cup than they did the last World Cup.
So look, I’ve said this, and probably some of my cabinet secretary friends won’t love this, but I think Gianni Infantino is the second most charismatic person that I’ve ever worked with. Donald J. Trump is the first. He has been a fantastic leader, I think, for FIFA. He’s been a fantastic cheerleader for the United States. And one of the main reasons why this World Cup has been the incredible success that it has is because of the leadership of the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino.
And that relationship that he’s been able to foster with President Trump, that’s why you’re seeing all these beautiful stories of the Scots in Boston, as I mentioned before, the Norwegians and where they’re rowing to next. I mean, those two stories are incredible in their own right. I saw – I think it was Haaland a couple of days ago go back home, and he had the taxidermy on his head right there, and I hear Wild Bill’s in Dallas is getting orders through the wazoo. I mean, that’s some of the legacy items that we’ve talked about here in the United States of America for small businesses. Now you’re starting to see that Norwegian partnership. I heard that – I think it’s – I can’t remember which city in Scotland – Glasgow and Boston – there might be a discussion of a sister-city friendship relationship. I think the New England Patriots want to go play in Glasgow or Edinburgh.
This World Cup has been an unbelievable success, and really there are two men that are really at the very top of the helm. One is the 45th and 47th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. If you notice, I really like saying 45th and 47th president of the United States. Those off years were a little rough, so I like to emphasize that. And the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino.
QUESTION: I’m Tiến Anh. I’m from Vietnam Television. I’m very impressed with the operation and management team here. I experienced the security checkpoint and the cooling area as well in each match and each stadium. So for the first question I want to ask you what coordination mechanisms made the impressive results possible?
And the second question is what was the biggest security challenge in hosting the largest World Cup ever?
MR GIULIANI: You want to talk a little bit about some of the visa sides and some of the numbers?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NAMDAR: Sure.
QUESTION: Yes, because honestly I didn’t see many safeguards or securities there, but you still kept us safe every match, every stadium – very impressive —
MR GIULIANI: I’ll address the security side. So much of the story is because of the work that Consular Affairs did before and afterwards.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NAMDAR: Sure, thank you. So of course the security onsite, that’s DHS and interagency partners and Andrew’s leadership that really did a great job with that. But speaking to the security as far as letting fans in, we have a very rigorous vetting process. So our number one concern in Consular Affairs is to ensure that people that are coming to the United States for the visa are using the visa for the purpose that they’re intended and not abusing our immigration system, not abusing our invitation to the United States for a visa for a short-term event, whether it’s for tourism or journalism or any other means.
So we have a very rigorous vetting process. Our Consular officers are highly trained, and that is the backbone of our system. Our Consular officers are screening and vetting to a high degree of security to make sure that the proper people that have the proper qualifications can come in, and those that may not have the best of intentions are not invited to come to the United States of America.
MR GIULIANI: And I think just from a security perspective, right, as Mora said and I learned very early on in this process, every single visa decision is a security decision, right? But then I would look at the footprints around the stadiums, right? We really set these up in the United States like they were 78 Super Bowls in terms of the perimeters. I ended up talking about the counter-UAS and kind of that full effort to be able to bring those temporary flight restrictions and make sure that state and local law enforcement had the abilities, the authorities, to be able to protect fan festivals on top of the feds protecting all 78 matches from the air.
But also from the ground it’s why it probably took – and actually, one of the things that I’m really – I think the message got through very, very well and it was probably seeing this for us from the Club World Cup last year was how many people were in the stadium a half hour before the match. So FIFA opened up gates three hours before. For the final they’ll be there four hours before. I can tell you anybody that has a ticket to the Argentina-Spain match on Sunday, get there early. The President of the United States, as you know, will be coming. There’ll be other heads of state that will be there as well. Make sure you get there early. You can get there as early as 11 o’clock. There are activations inside that FIFA is doing. You guys have invested a lot to come to the United States or to just buy your ticket to this World Cup final. Want to make sure that you get in there safe, get in there early. You’ll see perimeters continue to be pushed out over these last two matches.
Look, this has been a smashing success, this World Cup. It’s – I had major visions for this when I took over this Task Force, and I called the President of United States and I told him I believed this would be the largest platform that he had over our 250th birthday to show off American exceptionalism, and then the hope and promise of not just America over the next 250 years but the freedoms that we have here in the United States of America. Think about if all those international visitors weren’t able to come and experience some of the freedoms or the fruits of those freedoms here in the United States, and they can take a little bit of that back with them to wherever they go home. That is America First. As President Trump says, America First is not America only; it’s America leading the way. And you’ve seen it during this World Cup.
QUESTION: Hello, thank you for doing that. We enjoy a lot of the World Cup. Sandra Muller, La lettre de l’audiovisuel. You forgot France. (Laughter.) I’m going to – I’m going to – I’m going to —
MR GIULIANI: They forgot to show up the other day. I was looking for a great match between Spain and France, and I think honestly it really is a testament to Spain, because France is such a great soccer country. I mean, you look at the 2018 World Cup. You look at – they played the greatest soccer match ever, at least that I’ve ever seen, in the final in 2022. But I mean, I thought it was amazing to see just how well Spain was able to play against I think what a lot of people thought might be the 2026 World Cup champions in France.
QUESTION: What lesson from this World Cup can you bring to the Women World Cup in ’31? And has the interest in soccer grown in United States as a result of this World Cup? And I would like to know if you have numbers, its impact, like, in four years, or is it like before? there was the Knicks. Now there is soccer.
And FIFA, there’s a fire now? FIFA makes decision on banning Argentina players from World Cup final over Falkland Island flag. Did you hear about that, and how do you feel about that?
MR GIULIANI: Can you Mora, talk about what this means from a Consular Affairs perspective for Olympics and moving forward?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NAMDAR: Sure. Yeah, happy to. So as far as the legacy, I think that this World Cup has proven that we can have both security and welcome in fans in a great number in a very short time period from all around the world. So I think the legacy is that America is the best host. We are very, very excited to not only host this World Cup, the Women’s World Cup, going forward, and other great sporting events like the Olympics. So I think the legacy is that America is the best country in the world. Obviously I’m biased, but I think the fans have seen that we are welcoming. We appreciate everyone from everywhere that’s coming in, that wants to enjoy and appreciate our culture and our values. And we love hosting and we love showing them that.
So I think that’s the legacy that we have going forward under the great leadership of President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Secretary Mullin, and, of course, Andrew Giuliani. So we’re very fortunate to have this great leadership team to be able to show off the values and the amazing things that America has to offer.
MODERATOR: And then, yeah, the question was about the Women’s World Cup.
MR GIULIANI: Oh, Women’s World Cup and kind of the movement going forward. Yeah, look, I think there’s so many lessons learned to be taken to the 2028 Summer Olympics. I mean, that’s going to be a completely different problem set, let’s say, than this World Cup. I mean, you’re talking about, I think, about 15 times the amount of athletes for that from over 200 countries, right? So Mora thought she was going to get a vacation after this, but I don’t think she’s going to get a vacation after this. She’ll get maybe a little one in August. Talk to Secretary Rubio about that.
But I think the Women’s World Cup, will be fantastic in 2031. It’s why, in my discussions with the President, he’s wanted to make sure that the playing field was fair and that it would be in fact women and only women competing in that World Cup. But I think America showed that from its diversity of beauty to its welcoming spirit, to be able to share our 250th birthday with the rest of the world like this was magical. It was a magical, magical moment. It’s been a magical summer.
And for the 2031 Women’s World Cup, as I think about what that can mean as the father of a daughter and how we can inspire other women going forward, think about what that 1999 World Cup did for so many soccer players, not just around the United States but around the world. It gave them a team that they could not just look up to, but work hard toward, right? Those American ideals of hard work, self-belief, sacrifice for the team, not playing for the name on the back but the crest on the front of the jersey.
So I think there are a lot of great lessons learned. It’s why I’ve been saying the golden age of sport. As you might have noticed, it’s a little bit of a play off of my President, our President, and what he says, the golden age of America. It’s here; it’s upon us. I think we’re selling ourselves short when we say the decade of sport, because I really think the United States has shown that there are a lot of countries that can host a good World Cup, and certainly Canada and Mexico were our partners here. But there’s one country that can host the greatest World Cup, and that’s the United States of America.
MODERATOR: Great. We have friends online who have questions.
QUESTION: Yes. Thank you. Jan Klauth from German daily Die Welt. Mr. Giuliani, the President said a couple of days ago that Spain was a terrible partner and he doesn’t want to have anything to do with them anymore. If Spain wins this match, will the President invite the team over to the Oval Office?
MR GIULIANI: I’ve known President Trump for almost 30 years, and I let the President make ultimately the decision, and I’ll let him announce whether or not he’s going to have the champions come to the White House or not. I think we’re all looking forward to a fantastic game. The President, more than anything – he’s one of the most staunch advocates of our American ideals and our American way of life, and he looks at socialism and communism as a clear and present danger to those. And so I stand by the President and the comments that he made. I’m glad that he leads from ahead.
QUESTION: Just a quick follow-up. But I mean, it would happen – it would have to happen in the next couple of days, right? So if it’s not announced by now, it’s pretty unlikely that he will invite any of the teams over, right?
MR GIULIANI : Look, I remember working with President Trump in the first term, and he went to a national championship game in New Orleans, and it was LSU versus Clemson. If you guys remember in the first term, for a while there was a tradition that we’d get McDonald’s and fast food for those NCAA champions and they’d be able to come in here and enjoy that. That actually started – funny enough, I didn’t even mention this – that started during a government shutdown. All this work, remember, that we did has been done during one full government shutdown and two DHS shutdowns, so it’s really amazing to see the planning that’s going on.
But back to the kind of the last-minute invitations. I remember flying back with him on Air Force One. It’s 1:00, 2:00 in the morning, something like that. The man just does not sleep. I don’t know where he gets the energy. I’m just trying to keep up with him then at 33, 34 years old. And he called me into his office on Air Force One and he said, “Get Coach O on the phone.” Coach Orgeron was the coach of LSU at the time. So it takes a couple minutes; coach is celebrating. We get him on the phone and he said, “Coach, I don’t care where you go, I don’t care what you do, but I want you in the White House by Friday.” It was a Monday night, then Tuesday morning. And so he looked at me, and I was like, okay, well, if I want a job come Saturday morning, I better get them in the White House come Friday. We got them in the White House that Friday. It was one of the great celebrations.
I remember another time where – I think it was 2019, the Little League champions ended up coming to the White House. And I kid you not, I was standing in the back of the Oval Office, and I didn’t hear what the President said to the coach. But I saw the look on the coach’s face, and I pulled aside the director of operations and deputy chief of staff at the time, and I said, “You better clear people off the manifest of Air Force One.” He’s like, “We can’t do that.” I said, “Well, tell the President that, because he just invited the team on Air Force One to go and take a ride with him.” And sure enough, in about two hours after that invitation you had some 20 Little Leaguers and their families on Air Force One, and I think some senior staff were traveling scheduled and not on Air Force One, if you will. So we operate on Trump time in this administration, and nothing’s impossible when you have President Donald Trump at the helm.
QUESTION: So it might be happening. Thank you. (Laughter.)
MODERATOR: We’re going to stay online. Andres, I see you have a question. If you could enable your mic, state your name and organization, and ask your question.
QUESTION: Yes. Hi. Thank you very much. I’m Andres Fidanza from Argentina for El Observador, the Observer. I want to know, Andrew, if you think that this World Cup could help to make soccer even more popular in the U.S. And also, if I may, do you have any hunch or preference for the final?
MR GIULIANI: Oh, man, you’re going to get me in trouble over here. I want it to be an incredible match. I think it is going to be an incredible match. It’s funny. I know that probably soccer purists don’t like this, but I’ve never been to a match where they’ve had penalty kicks, and I would at least love to see it go to extra time, so that we have an incredible match that’s deserving of the final for the greatest World Cup ever.
One of the things that you mentioned was making soccer more popular in the United States, and I know you asked a question – you mentioned the Knicks there. I think looking at the soccer viewership records, specifically in the United States and what Fox was able to announce, I think along with Telemundo as well – you had more people watching the U.S. national team games in the United States, than you did the NBA finals, with the New York Knicks in there. Now look, I know I’m biased to both the New York Knicks and the U.S. men’s national team, but I mean, that is incredible, when you think that you’re talking about big market team and another one from Texas that has an incredible following as well.
I think we’ve seen that soccer is going to continue to build. It wouldn’t surprise me – and some of the commissioners might be hitting up my cellphone after this, so guys, I’m not going to pick up until Monday or at least Sunday night, or I’ll see you at the Meadowlands here in a couple short days. It wouldn’t surprise me if in a few years soccer becomes the second-most popular sport in the United States.
MODERATOR: Great. Well, that concludes our briefing. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you, journalists, for attending. I hope you have a great time on Sunday and whoever you’re rooting for, I hope you win. So thank you.
MR GIULIANI: Thank you, everybody. Appreciate it. And again, the world fell in love – America fell in love with the World Cup, and Americans – and the world fell in love with the United States again. So it’s really an honor to – it’s been an honor to take on this problem set, and it’s been an honor to see it executed by incredible professionals like Assistant Secretary Namdar, and it’s incredible to be able to show off the America that we know, that we love, to the rest of the world. So thank you.
