This year’s FIFA World Cup has “brought a flood of political story lines,” raising various questions on the Iranian team’s treatment during a war with the U.S., how much President Trump and policies would affect the tournament, and if the U.S. will “do enough to leverage all the soft power it can get from hosting the event,” according to Patricia Mazzei of the N.Y. TIMES. A report released by the Pew Research Center said that the 78 matches played in the U.S. “should be a prime opportunity to showcase the country at a time when people around the globe have an increasingly negative view of American foreign policy.” Americans -- and American politicians -- have been “so taken with foreign visitors who have embraced Americana.” Mazzei: “At a time when our politics are so polarized and dark, their joy in mundane discoveries like Costco has felt like a balm” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/26).
BROTHERLY LOVE: POLITICO’s Adam Wren reported Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro last week met with a group of “handpicked World Cup social media influencers” at a café in Philadelphia. Shapiro, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, “worked to build relationships with people who could cast this host city … in a positive light.” But what Shapiro “really wanted to talk about was the World Cup.” He is “among those recent converts to the world’s game.” As of this week, he has been to three matches at Philadelphia Stadium -- “more than any other potential 2028 presidential candidate.” Save N.Y. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has “blitzed soccer media to chat about arcane ball knowledge,” perhaps “no other Democratic politician has so fully embraced the tournament” (POLITICO, 6/27).
FANFARE: POLITICO’s Mike Lee noted politicians around the country have been “flocking to be seen at World Cup matches” but “one place where the optics haven’t worked well has been Dallas.” Mayor Eric Johnson reportedly was “booed when he showed up at a Fan Fest event” earlier this month, and the Dallas City Council “earned some criticism when several of its members skipped out on a budget session to attend the June 17 match between Croatia and England.” The meeting -- which was supposed to include a discussion of the city’s looming budget shortfall -- was “cut short for lack of a quorum.” Per the Dallas Morning News, “taxpayers paid for their transportation” (POLITICO, 6/27).
PREPPING THE STAGE: POLITICO’s Ry Rivard reported Trump will be at N.Y. N.J. Stadium to “hand out the gold trophy after the final match concludes.” The July 19 event will be “one more test of the region’s security and transportation apparatus,” one that is “in the middle of a long summer, including Trump’s early trip to New York earlier that month for a parade of warships.” FIFA World Cup 2026 N.Y./N.J. Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry said that from a logistical perspective, the final is “‘its own animal,’ with its own set of transportation and security worries” (POLITICO, 6/28).
