MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – Members of the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup watched the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night as part of preparations for a tournament expected to draw millions of tourists to the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
The task force, created by President Donald Trump, works with government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Justice and others to coordinate federal security and convention planning.
“We’re really looking forward to what tonight is going to be like,” task force executive director Andrew Giuliani told The Associated Press. “The reason I wanted to be here tonight in particular is because football fans can be very emotional. With the University of Miami being here, we’re obviously going to have an emotional fan base tonight and we’re either going to be very happy after this game is over, or we’re not going to be very happy. So I’m very interested to see how that goes… and how we can learn from this game leading up to the World Cup.”
“It’s not an exact apples-to-apples comparison, but it’s probably one of the closest comparisons you’ll get between now and the kickoff of the World Cup.”
The World Cup has an expanded field with 48 teams playing 104 games. first time The tournament will be held in three countries. 78 of the 104 games will be played in the United States, with 13 games each in Mexico and Canada, for a maximum of six games per day. final match It will be July 19th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Hard Rock Stadium, where Miami played Indiana in Monday’s CFP title game, will host seven games, including Colombia vs. Portugal on June 27. Colombia played at the Miami Dolphins’ home stadium during the 2024 Copa America. Fans without tickets rushed to the gate. In the match against Argentina, fans were treated to horror and bloodshed as security struggled to contain the clashes.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office later announced that it had learned lessons from the incident. there was Enhanced security Last summer’s Club World Cup included additional checkpoints, which may continue to be in place this year.
“If you don’t have a ticket, you shouldn’t be here,” Giuliani said. “It’s not like an American football game where there’s aggressive driving. This is very different. We want to make sure we have security resources for the fans who have purchased tickets. Even if you haven’t purchased tickets, there will be a fan festival. There are other events in the Miami area that you can go to and have fun and be safe.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said The task force ensures that all visitors traveling from around the world “feel safe, feel happy, and feel that we are doing something special.”
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