American sports billionaire Arthur Blank says he hopes that geopolitical tensions “calm down” before next year’s football World Cup, paving the way for a successful tournament that will grow the sport in the US.
Preparation for the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the US for the second time in June 2026, occurs while President Donald Trump’s fares and their aggressive immigration posture make some groups question the country’s adequacy to host the tournament.
Trump has also antagonized the Mexico and Canada co-phythitriles-giving threatening the latter-accusing them of not preventing “cartels activity and the influx of lethal drugs” in the US. The US Travel Association, a commercial entity, warned that slow visa processing could impair the success of the men’s tournament.
But Blank, the founder of Home Depot who became one of the most prominent US sports chiefs – a NFL and Major League Soccer team – said America would be welcoming with visitors and that Trump would be a “positive force” for the tournament.
“I am waiting, as most people around the world, that the geopolitical scenario calms down and is a little more stable and a little more predictable than we have today,” said Blank, whose Amborts + Entertainment owns one of the places that will host the event to Financial Times.
While Trump has stated that the men’s World Cup will be “the best managed football tournament the world has ever seen” and an opportunity to show the “pride and hospitality” of the US, Human Rights Watch has expressed “serious concerns” about administration immigration policies.
Blank, who contributed to Joe Biden’s campaigns in 2020 and 2024, said it was “quite certain that the president will be a positive force for the World Cup as we started to approach her.”
The tycoon owns NFL’s Atlanta Falcons franchise and launched the MLS Atlanta United team in 2017. Its teams play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with a capacity of 75,000 people, who will host World Cup matches and this month’s Club World Cup.
The World Cup could boost Georgia’s economy by more than $ 500 million (R $ 2.8 billion), according to the local business entity Metro Atlanta Chamber. “We want to attract tourism to other parts of the state, not just Atlanta,” said Dan Corso, president of Atlanta Sports Council, part of the House.
Blank said the World Cup could have an even greater impact on the US football promotion than the 1994 tournament, which helped start MLS two years later with ten teams.
“The change since 94 in Atlanta has been remarkable,” said Dietmar Exler, head of operations at AMA Sports & Entertainment.
MLS has grown to 30 teams with an average assessment of more than $ 700 million (R $ 3.9 billion), according to Sportico. It attracted players such as Argentina star Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami, while the English Premier League generates hundreds of millions of dollars a year in US media rights.
Last year, Blank donated $ 50 million to the first US Federation National Training Center in Atlanta to further improve training standards and facilities.
“A Premier League [inglesa] It is obviously the number one alloy in the world. MLS is probably six or seven leagues behind it, but it has probably reduced this difference in half in the last 15 years or more, “he said.
