Amid such soccer diplomacy, there are also concerns about the impact some of Trump’s policies and statements will have on the World Cup, and uncertainty over how visitors from some countries will be welcomed.
In June the White House listed 19 countries, primarily in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean, that would face full or partial immigration restrictions, citing the need to manage security threats.
Amid suggestions that the list could be expanded to 30 countries after an Afghan man was recently identified as a suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, FIFA has vowed to organize a welcoming and integrated tournament.
But Iran and Haiti, whose teams have qualified for the World Cup, are among the countries affected by the ban. Last week Iran said it planned to boycott the draw due to the limited number of visas for its delegation.
A June executive order exempted athletes and coaching staff from traveling for the World Cup, but fans could face restrictions.
“We want to make sure we’re as welcoming as possible,” Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup Task Force, said Wednesday.
Giuliani praised a program designed to reduce wait times for interviews for visitor visas for people with tickets, but he did not rule out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants at World Cup sites. Giuliani stressed that officials want to prioritize the safety of American citizens by ensuring that visitors come to the US legally.
Such a stance worries civil liberties campaigners, with Human Rights Watch claiming that the draw will take place against “the backdrop of violent detention of immigrants, deployment of the National Guard to US cities, and FIFA’s repeal of its anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns”.
“There is still time to honor FIFA’s promises for a World Cup not marred by human rights abuses, but time is running out,” it added.
During a meeting with Infantino in the Oval Office last month, Trump suggested he might even pull games from Democratic-run host cities if he had concerns about security.
While it is unclear whether the president would — or even could — take a step that would cause major logistical and legal disruption, his words have increased uncertainty over the tournament.
At the same meeting Trump suggested that if Mexico would stop drug trafficking into the US he could launch “attacks” against it. Trump’s trade policies had already led to differences with both Mexico and Canada, further strengthening concerns about the level of cooperation between the three World Cup co-hosts on issues such as security at the tournament.
Infantino may claim that, given the unpredictability of some of Trump’s statements, it is even more important to have a close relationship with him.
But others would argue it also risks hindering his ability to stand up to the US president.