The World Cup Is an American Success Story

Foreign visitors beyond count are getting to see the best of what the USA can offer.

Monty Donohew | July 2, 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is taking place in venues across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  The trinational hosting arrangement, once sold with the feel-good slogan “United as One,” commenced amid genuine tensions over trade, borders, immigration enforcement, and the looming USMCA review.  The event presents an important and highly visible opportunity to display the pragmatic realism that forms the basis of President Trump's foreign policy: sovereign nations pursuing their own interests from positions of strength and forging practical cooperation without the illusions of borderless globalism or one-sided concessions.

President Trump’s America First doctrine has never meant isolation.  It means reciprocity, leverage, and results.  As Trump himself put it during preparations, “tension’s a good thing.”  Tariffs have pressured better behavior on fentanyl trafficking and chronic trade imbalances.  Strengthened border policies protect American workers and ensure that legal visitors are welcomed while chaos is kept at bay.  These assertive moves have predictably irked leaders in Ottawa and Mexico City, but they reflect the nature of diplomacy required in a post-pandemic world of supply chain vulnerabilities, cartel violence, and great-power rivalry.

Far from derailing the tournament, these realities have highlighted the durability of mutual self-interest.  The White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, established under President Trump, has driven coordination on security, infrastructure, and fan management across 16 host cities.  “We’re doing it with Mexico and Canada,” Trump emphasized in meetings, underscoring that robust American........

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