The World Cup Is a Golden Opportunity for North American Soccer Diplomacy

This summer, the United States, Canada and Mexico will jointly host the World Cup, organizing a tournament that will bring together 48 national teams for 104 matches, with a combined crowd of 6 million fans expected at the stadiums and 5 billion broadcast viewers worldwide.

When FIFA announced the winning bid eight years ago, it symbolized North America’s remarkable success at economic integration. Today, the continent’s “three amigos” are no longer on friendly terms. But there is still time to turn things around, with the World Cup offering unique opportunities to remind the co-hosts of the advantages of continental camaraderie.

President Donald Trump has raised tensions with his counterparts repeatedly, and gratuitously, during his second term. He decreed that the name of the Gulf of Mexico be changed to “Gulf of America,” demanded that Canada become the 51st U.S. state and slapped tariffs on neighbors that are highly dependent on access to U.S. markets. He has threatened to unilaterally bomb drug cartels in Mexico to reduce fentanyl trafficking and pressured Mexico to withhold vital oil deliveries from Cuba, its longtime partner.