U.S. in talks to host 2029 Club World Cup

The Guardian reported on July 9 that the United States is in talks with FIFA about hosting the 2029 Club World Cup, citing sources familiar with the discussions. The report said the talks are part of an effort to build on the infrastructure and commercial gains from the 2026 World Cup, which is being staged by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The newspaper said no formal bid had been announced. FIFA has not publicly named a host for the 2029 event. ### Has FIFA already set up a 2029 Club World Cup? FIFA has already treated 2029 as part of its Club World Cup cycle. In a media-rights tender published in late 2024, FIFA offered broadcast rights for both the 2025 and 2029 Club World Cups in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. That showed the governing body was planning commercially for a second edition of the expanded event well before any host was made public. FIFA also confirmed in June 2023 that the United States would host the first expanded 32-team Club World Cup in 2025. The governing body said at the time that the FIFA Council had unanimously appointed the United States as host of the new-format tournament. ### Why is the United States in the frame again? The United States is already central to FIFA’s current tournament plans. FIFA says the 2026 World Cup is being played across three host countries — Canada, Mexico and the United States — and is the first edition with 48 teams and 104 matches. The scale of that event gives the U.S. an existing network of stadiums, training sites and commercial partners that could be reused for another FIFA tournament. FIFA and the U.S. government have also already created a formal coordination structure around upcoming tournaments. FIFA said in May 2025 that a White House task force was established to oversee preparations for the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup in the United States. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took part in the first meeting, alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino. ### What exactly is the Club World Cup now? The Club World Cup is no longer the older small-format event that was held annually. FIFA’s official material for the 2025 tournament describes it as a 32-team competition in the United States, with clubs qualifying from different confederations under the new expanded model. That matters because a 2029 host would be taking on a tournament much closer in scale to a major international championship than to the previous seven-team version. FIFA’s official Club World Cup pages now present the competition as one of its marquee global events. ### Has anyone formally launched a U.S. bid? The Guardian said on July 9 that talks were ongoing and that no formal bid had been announced. Neither FIFA’s main site nor U.S. Soccer’s official website had, as of July 9, published any announcement naming the United States as 2029 host or confirming a formal U.S. bid. U.S. Soccer’s current public focus remains on the 2026 World Cup and national-team activity. FIFA’s public Club World Cup material likewise names the United States as host for 2025, but not for 2029. ### What comes next? FIFA has not announced a timetable for choosing the 2029 Club World Cup host on its public tournament pages. The next concrete marker is the continuing rollout of the 2026 World Cup and the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States, both of which are already part of FIFA’s official planning and U.S. government coordination. Any formal 2029 bid or host designation would need to come from FIFA or a national federation in a later announcement.