Kingdom
World Cup 2026: Amrani Meets with the Executive Director of the White House Task Force
The meeting gave Mr Andrew Giuliani the opportunity to underline his full readiness, as well as that of the US authorities, to work closely with Morocco to ensure that the 2026 and 2030 milestones are “two major successes”, set to further strengthen the exemplary nature of an exceptional bilateral alliance.
The Ambassador of Morocco to the United States, Youssef Amrani, held talks in Washington with the Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, Andrew Giuliani. The meeting reflects both a strong interest in cooperation and the historic friendship linking the Kingdom and the United States.
Mandated by President Donald Trump, Andrew Giuliani is overseeing what is set to be the largest global sporting event, scheduled to take place from 11 June to 19 July in the United States, as well as in Mexico and Canada.
A true chief conductor of this major event, he serves as the focal point and driving force behind a complex and hierarchical architecture put in place under the leadership of the President and Vice-President of the United States, with the aim of ensuring optimal conditions for welcoming millions of supporters from around the world, including fans of the Atlas Lions.
According to the American official himself, strategic engagement with Morocco represents both a priority and a unifying commitment. As the first country to recognise the independence of the United States, the Kingdom also stands out as a future host nation—alongside Spain and Portugal—of the 2030 World Cup, thus taking over from the 2026 edition.
The Executive Director of the White House Task Force also welcomed “the extraordinary infrastructure developed in the Kingdom to promote football at a global level”, noting that the President of FIFA had even expressed his “admiration” for the success of the Moroccan model, driven by a forward-looking Royal Vision placing sport at the service of development.
The meeting enabled Mr Giuliani to reaffirm his full readiness, as well as that of the US authorities, to work closely with Morocco to ensure that the 2026 and 2030 milestones are “two major successes”, further strengthening the exemplary nature of an exceptional bilateral alliance.
The talks, also attended by Simon Bland, Director of International Affairs at the US Department of Homeland Security, reflect a broader commitment by Washington to coordinate, collaborate and work with Morocco on efficient operational approaches, so that each side’s experience can benefit all.
This commitment is all the more significant as the 2026 World Cup is expected to see unprecedented attendance, with five million tickets already sold and ticket requests exceeding 500 million since FIFA launched the first sales phase in January 2026.
For his part, Mr Amrani stressed that this global sporting event represents “an open window onto the vitality, depth and determination of an alliance—and above all, of an unwavering friendship between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America”.
In this respect, he noted that “the immense joy for Morocco in hosting the 2030 World Cup is all the greater given that the Kingdom will be taking over from a 2026 edition organised by our American partners, at a time when we are celebrating this year the 250th anniversary of our bilateral relations”.
“As the first country to recognise the independence of the United States, Morocco continues to build, both in football and in diplomacy, a remarkable shared history, bringing together the paths of two allies bound by time and by heart,” he said.
The Ambassador also welcomed the close contacts already established with US authorities, particularly in the field of security, recalling that the Kingdom has been explicitly designated, at the highest level of the US government, as a partner called upon to take part in the White House Task Force dedicated to the FIFA World Cup. “This is a signal that reflects far more than simple cooperation—it embodies an unshaken trust that continues to grow between our two countries,” he argued.
While welcoming this strategic cooperation in the run-up to the next major global sporting events, particularly the 2026 World Cup, the Moroccan diplomat emphasised that such recognition illustrates the confidence placed in Morocco, whose expertise, professionalism and proven capacity to manage events of international scale continue to be widely acknowledged worldwide.
