World Cup Host Cities Chase FIFA as It Refuses to Pay Up

President Donald Trump remains silent as American cities are left to foot the bill.

Eleven different U.S. cities are still trying to get paid what they’re owed by FIFA after hosting 2026 World Cup club matches.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino reportedly verbally promised Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Miami, and Boston each $1 million for their hosting troubles, calling it a “legacy contribution.” While FIFA made no public statement about the payments, four executives at U.S. host city committees told The Athletic that FIFA management repeatedly reassured them about the payment.

Now, nearly a month after the World Cup ended—and after Infantino’s U-turn on his disastrous plan to sell stakes in the international competition—all of those cities are still waiting for their payouts.

“The absolute, utter stupidity of these host city executives for not getting this in writing,” said Pablo Iglesias Maurer, a soccer reporter for The Guardian. “I can’t even wrap my head around this—It’s FIFA, FFS. You’re taking Gianni Infantino’s word for it?”

It doesn’t make much sense that FIFA can’t make an $11 million total payment after the profit from ticketing, media rights, and private donations. The tournament made over $15 billion in revenue from 2023 through the end of the 2026 World Cup, and FIFA only had a tournament operation budget of $2.7 billion. Meanwhile, hosts like Kansas City have had to dip into state funding to cover the costs.

FIFA is one of the most historically corrupt organizations in all of sports, if not the entire world. And if Infantino’s been taking any cues from Trump, those cities won’t be seeing that money anytime soon.

MAGA Senator Complains About Dems Calling Out Tax Fraud and Sex Abuse

Senator Eric Schmitt apparently got bored during acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation vote.

Senate Judiciary Democrats used their final moments ahead of Todd Blanche’s nomination vote Tuesday to remind the committee of numerous reasons why the acting attorney general should not be permanently promoted—but apparently all Republicans heard was a bunch of “whining.”

Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt was quick to mock his Democratic committee colleagues, sharing a derogatory note on X that he penned during the proceedings.

​​“So much whining!” the note read.

Schmitt’s language is an interesting choice, considering that the “whining” was an explicit exploration of why Donald Trump’s personal attorney should not have the keys to the Justice Department.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse referred to Blanche’s botched rollout of the Epstein files as just one reason why he should be disqualified from consideration. Whitehouse reminded the committee that........

© New Republic