Washington – With only two days remaining until the 2026 World Cup draw takes place at the Kennedy Center in this capital, Andrew GiulianiExecutive Director of Task Force To the White House appointed by the President Donald Trumpand highlighted how Process of obtaining visa appointments in Argentinareferred to Argentine security forces work to identify ‘problematic actors’ Before the tournament, he even joked with her Lionel Messi.
Giuliani, who is responsible for supervising planning for the tournament, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, emphasized this. They will not tolerate “troublemakers” and that “Security and hospitality can coexist” In the biggest FIFA event.
Last May, before the last Club World Cup finals in the United States, in which Boca and River participated, it was the Ministry of Security that led the team. Patricia Bullrich North American authorities have been provided with a list of more than… 15,000 people were banned from local football stadiums due to violent behaviour.
During a press conference at the Foreign Press Center in Washington. Nation He has consulted Giuliani on whether North American authorities will use this roster of fans for next year’s World Cup and how they work with the government.
He added: “I do not want to talk about specific lists, but I will say that We have established an international police cooperation center where we can work with law enforcement agencies in every country Which are categorized into issues like the ones you mentioned. thus, Argentine law enforcement authorities can identify problem actors“To people who have had problems, to things that may not be on the radar of the United States government before the World Cup,” he said.
“This is one of the main solutions we have proposed as well We are working with FIFA on this matter. I think they used it in Euro 2024 in Germany. We realized it was a great opportunity to make sure we eliminated potential conflicting elements before we arrived in the United States.added Giuliani, a former professional golfer and son of a former New York mayor. Rudy Giuliani.
The official recalled the transgressions that occurred in the final of the 2024 Copa America – organized by CONMEBOL – in Miami between Argentina and Colombia, and in this sense he highlighted what happened in the 2026 World Cup. “The security environment will be very different.”.
“There will be multiple entry checks before you get to the door (Entering the stadiums). He added: “I think what also happened there (in Miami in 2024) is that there were fans who were in the stadium at six in the morning, and they probably drank a lot.”
Executive Director of Task Force He was also sure to highlight the progress FIFA Pass has made so that foreign fans with World Cup tickets will have priority in getting a visa appointment. In this sense, he referred to Argentina and Brazil, two of the most popular teams in the World Cup.
“Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marco RubioMost prominently in the Oval Office: The Argentina Waiting period exceeded (for visa appointment) From one year in 2023 to less than two months. “We will continue to work on that,” he added.
“We know that Argentine fans are traveling as they should for the 2022 World Cup champions. There is also a respected player playing in the United States, his name is Messi, Which some may know his name. “It’s not bad at all,” he joked, sparking laughter among journalists.
Last month, standing by Trump card In the Oval Room of the White House, the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantinoannounced the launch of “FIFA Pass”, a Priority appointment system for foreign fans with tickets to matches to apply for a visa to the United StatesIt is one of the issues of greatest concern ahead of the 2026 tournament.
It is expected that for the World Cup, which will start next June 11 in Mexico City, Between six and seven million tickets will be sold.
“One of the things I looked at in my first week in this job was to look for countries that had the highest demand for visas, and Brazil and Argentina obviously come to mind, considering not only their recent success, but also their historical success and how far their fans travel for the World Cup.Giuliani described.
in The first stage of selling tickets for World Cup matches, population United States, Canada and Mexico They topped the list of buyers, beating fans from England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and France, the countries that completed – in this order – Top 10 In demand for tickets in this first section. actually Nearly two million tickets were purchased FIFA reported that it is in two rounds of sales.
Amid the expectations generated by the draw that will take place on Friday in Washington, Giuliani told LA NACION that they were not surprised by the president’s cancellation. Javier Miley To participate in the event, he highlighted that “he has an excellent relationship with President Trump.”
Last Thursday, in the midst of the criticism directed by the government against the management of the President of the Asian Football Confederation, Claudio “Czech” TapiaCasa Rosada announced this Miley will not travel to Washington to testify The draw in which the Argentine national team will meet its competitors. The president is expected to meet there again with Trump, his main international ally.