Organizers of the bid to bring soccer’s World Cup to North America in 2026 offered two eye-catching sweeteners to voters on Tuesday: a promise of a record $11 billion profit for FIFA and a written pledge from the United States government that it would grant visas to visitors without regard to religion or national origin.
The latter pledge, which bid officials said was delivered in a letter to FIFA last week, could reassure FIFA members that a travel ban put in place by President Trump would not block some officials or fans from traveling to the tournament. The Trump administration, through an executive order, has sought to block visitors to the United States from a handful of countries, including five Muslim-majority nations.