White House links 2031 Women’s World Cup guarantees to FIFA transgender policy

The White House wants FIFA to adopt a stricter policy on transgender eligibility in women’s football, as President Donald Trump has yet to approve key government guarantees required for a United States-led bid to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.The joint bid by the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica was formally presented in October, but government assurances on visas, tax exemptions, safety and security have not been delivered to FIFA.According to The Athletic, people familiar with the bid process said the missing guarantees have become a pressure point because FIFA has only one bid for 2031, giving the US administration meaningful leverage over the timeline.Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup, said: “President Trump’s leadership has set a new standard for protecting the integrity of women’s sports. His decisive action has codified that it shall ‘be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.’ "We urge the entire sports world to commit to this principle and ensure fair competition for female athletes to thrive in this golden age of sports.”Trump has made transgender participation in women’s sport a political priority since returning to office, signing an executive order in February 2025 that sought to bar athletes from competing in women’s sports unless they were assigned female at birth.FIFA has not publicly confirmed any link between the guarantees and its policy review, and it has not responded to a request for comment in the source material provided.FIFA has previously said the delay in confirming the 2031 host is intended to create a standalone event later in the year, alongside the planned confirmation of the 2035 hosts.The timing matters commercially because government guarantees are a gating item in FIFA’s bidding process, and any delay compresses operational planning for host federations, venue strategy, commercial packages and event delivery.The White House position is also landing as other international bodies tighten rules, raising the prospect of cross-sport divergence that could complicate FIFA’s regulatory approach and expose it to legal and stakeholder risk.In July 2025, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee changed eligibility rules to block US transgender athletes from competing in Olympic women’s and girls’ sports unless assigned female at birth, aligning with the executive order.The International Olympic Committee has since moved towards compulsory testing for elite-level women’s events under the framework described in the source material, with implications that extend beyond transgender athletes to some athletes with differences in sex development.FIFA has been reviewing its gender eligibility regulations for several years, but the only referenced guidance in the source material is its older gender verification framework, which did not set testosterone levels.Within women’s football, the issue remains sensitive and could split opinion among players, clubs, leagues and sponsors, particularly in markets where the political climate is polarised.Retired US international Megan Rapinoe has previously criticised politicians’ focus on the issue, saying: “Oh, now we care about fairness? Now we care about women’s sports? That’s total bulls–t. And show me all the trans people who are nefariously taking advantage of being trans in sports. It’s just not happening.”US Soccer officials acknowledged in the source material that the guarantees have not yet arrived, while maintaining there has been constructive dialogue with government departments and that they see a route to progress.Any continued delay leaves FIFA balancing its desire to lock in hosts and commercial planning for 2031 against a political negotiation that could reshape one of the sport’s most contentious regulatory areas.