The United States is exploring the opportunity to host the 2029 Club World Cup, aiming to leverage the commercial and sporting achievements from the recently held World Cup.
Fifa has engaged in discussions with American officials regarding the 2029 event; however, the potential co-hosts have not yet made a formal bid due to the absence of confirmed details regarding the selection process.
It remains uncertain if discussions have included input from the White House or the World Cup task force led by Donald Trump, who praised the success of this summer’s tournament.
“Soccer is no longer a future American story,” Giuliani stated. “It’s happening right now. There’s just so much demand to come to the United States to watch the World Cup.”
Fifa has achieved a record sales milestone by selling 6.5 million tickets for this World Cup, and it anticipates surpassing its revenue goal of $11 billion (£8.2 billion). This success makes the prospect of the US hosting another tournament appealing, especially considering its connections with the White House.
A joint bid from the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup is expected to receive approval from Fifa this year.
This week, the close ties between Fifa and the US government were highlighted by the Folarin Balogun incident, where Trump revealed he had requested Fifa President Gianni Infantino to reassess the striker’s red card during the USA’s last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In an unprecedented move during a major tournament, Fifa’s disciplinary committee lifted the one-match suspension, allowing Balogun to participate in the last-16 match against Belgium.
While Trump is set to leave office in January 2029, he will still be in power when the Club World Cup decision is made. Fifa has yet to announce the timeline or process for selecting the 2029 hosts, but a decision is anticipated next year, likely following the Fifa presidential election scheduled for April.
The USA was awarded the expanded 2025 Club World Cup without a bidding process, with the Fifa Council unanimously making the decision in June 2023.
Initially, it was expected that the 2029 tournament would be allocated to two of the hosts for the 2030 World Cup, likely Spain and Morocco. However, interest from other nations is evident, with the Brazilian Football Confederation expressing a desire to host, and reports indicating Qatar’s interest as well.
Since 2018, Fifa has not held votes among members to select hosts for major tournaments. The joint bid from the US, Canada, and Mexico for this summer’s World Cup defeated Morocco’s bid, which was later awarded the 2030 tournament alongside Spain and Portugal, featuring three centenary matches in South America.
Fifa’s plan to expand the Club World Cup to 48 teams in 2029, a move backed by leading European clubs, could complicate matters but may also bolster any potential US bid.
Hosting another North American tournament would likely be the most profitable option for Fifa, which has seen success in its pricing strategy for the current World Cup, with most matches sold out.
Fifa tested the controversial dynamic ticket pricing model during last year’s Club World Cup, which generated $411 million (£307 million) from ticket sales and hospitality despite varying demand.
