US links 2031 Women’s World Cup bid to Fifa stance on transgender athletes

The United States’ potential hosting of the 2031 Women’s World Cup could hinge on Fifa’s position over transgender athletes, a senior official in Donald Trump’s administration has indicated.

Andrew Giuliani, chair of the US World Cup committee and executive director of the White House World Cup taskforce, said Fifa had informed President Trump that the US was a candidate to stage the 2031 women’s tournament.

But he suggested that Washington’s cooperation would partly depend on how closely Fifa’s policies align with the administration’s push to exclude transgender athletes from women’s competitions.

Hosting bid tied to transgender eligibility row

Giuliani told reporters that football’s world governing body had notified Trump of the US candidacy for the 2031 Women’s World Cup, adding that the issue of transgender participation could become a factor in negotiations.

The Trump administration, he said, wants international sports policy to reflect what it describes as current US priorities on women’s categories in elite sport, specifically moves aimed at barring transgender women from female events.

The report, carried by US outlet Politico on 16 July, indicates that the White House sees the prospective tournament as leverage in a broader effort to export its domestic stance on transgender inclusion to the global sporting stage.

Part of wider Fifa–US government talks

Giuliani said the question of transgender athletes was likely to be folded into a much larger set of discussions between Washington and Fifa over the practical conditions for hosting the World Cup.

Those negotiations typically cover guarantees on visas for teams and officials, security arrangements, customs procedures and tax treatment – all core commitments Fifa routinely demands from host nations in order to stage its flagship events.

By signalling that social and cultural policy could also enter the equation, the administration is effectively putting Fifa on notice that US political priorities may influence how far the government is prepared to go in meeting the organisation’s hosting requirements.

Domestic politics reach into global sport

According to Politico’s account, the remarks underline how the Trump White House is seeking to project its internal agenda into major international sporting bids.

They come as the US prepares to host another global event that will take place long after the end of Trump’s second term, underscoring the administration’s ambition to shape the framework of future tournaments even beyond its time in office.

The stance also highlights the growing intersection between sport, gender identity debates and international governance, with Fifa already under pressure from different sides over how to regulate participation categories in the women’s game.

While Fifa has not publicly commented on the reported conversations with the White House, any move to align or resist the US position on transgender athletes could have significant implications for its relationship with one of world football’s most influential federations and markets – and for the shape of the 2031 Women’s World Cup itself.