Overview
- The administration is withholding visas, tax exemptions and security pledges for the U.S.-led 2031 bid until FIFA bars transgender athletes from the women's game.
- FIFA has postponed its April congress that was set to confirm hosts, with reporting linking the delay to the missing U.S. guarantees.
- The White House wants FIFA to copy the IOC, which in March set gene testing that will exclude transgender athletes from women's events at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
- The bid faces no rival and includes Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, which gives Washington unusual leverage over tournament terms.
- FIFA is still using gender rules from 2011 after a years-long review, so no updated standard governs eligibility in women's football.