Editor’s Note: This commentary was originally published in Italian in the July 2026 issue of Formiche magazine.

As the camera panned across the Los Angeles Stadium during the United States’ first match of the 2026 World Cup, celebrities were in abundance. Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, and George Lucas all featured on the screen. Despite only being a group stage match, the event kicked off with a triumphalist concert that rivaled a Super Bowl half time performance.

You could be forgiven for thinking this was the first game of the 2026 World Cup. But that game had taken place a day prior in Mexico, which is cohosting the tournament alongside the United States and Canada. This fact was hardly mentioned on the American television broadcast. Despite years of coordination to host the world’s most watched event, the United States is acting as though its cohosts do not exist. The Trump administration is forgoing the opportunities for diplomatic collaboration in favor of promoting an image of American primacy.

There was promise for a different outcome — one that would instead highlight the successful integration of the so-called “three amigos.” The joint bid for the tournament was submitted to FIFA in 2017, which came as a surprise given that Trump was regularly complaining about Mexico allowing immigrants to pour into the United States and pledging to build a wall between the countries. But as Jeff Carlisle reported for ESPN, Trump was “especially pleased” to be jointly bidding with Mexico, opening the possibility of the project improving the relationship between the two countries. Sunil Gulati, then the head of the US Soccer Federation, cheered the awarding of the joint bid, saying, “We don’t believe sport can solve all the issues in the world but, especially with what’s going on in the world today, we believe this is a hugely positive signal and symbol of what we can do together in unifying people, especially in our three countries.” 

The lead-up to the World Cup featured some indications that Gulati’s vision might come to fruition. The draw for the tournament provided the first in-person meeting between Trump and Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, which allowed them the opportunity to discuss the upcoming renegotiation of the USMCA trade agreement. Meeting at the Organization for American States (OAS), the three host countries presented a jointly developed security plan for the tournament. Albert Ramdin, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, celebrated the gathering but described the stakes: “With 16 host cities, three sovereign nations and millions of fans crossing borders in a matter of weeks, this tournament represents more than a sporting milestone — it is a test of coordination, trust and multilateral cooperation in action.”

While the tournament has so far been secure, the vision of a three-country World Cup as a celebration of multilateralism and North American integration has not been realized. Trump’s threats towards Canada, repeatedly claiming he would make Canada the 51^st state, have deeply harmed relations. Canadian tourism to the United States declined by nearly a quarter last year, costing the United States $4.6 billion. Rather than approaching the tournament discussing collaboration and a shared future, the relationship prior to the tournament was marked by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech urging the world to look elsewhere than the United States for global leadership.

US-Mexico ties have not fared much better. While Sheinbaum has been largely successful in handling Trump’s idiosyncratic statesmanship, relations between the two countries have struggled. The death of two Central Intelligence Agency operatives during an operation in Mexico led Sheinbaum to publicly distance herself from collaboration with the United States on addressing cartel activities. And Mexico views Republican proposals for military raids in Mexico, which Trump has considered, as threatening its sovereignty, further undermining the relationship.

The World Cup was an opportunity to signal to the globe that the United States, Mexico, and Canada can cooperate on their shared interests. The expiration of the USMCA during the tournament provided a chance for a highly public meeting of the three leaders to champion trade between them. Travel between the countries by fans and players could have led to an expedited process used to facilitate tourism between the three countries in perpetuity. But no public progress has been made on renewing the USMCA and the United States remains opposed to any easing of travel across its borders. As a recent Stimson Center event highlighted, North America’s World Cup has represented diplomatic disintegration among the three countries more than anything.

Instead, Trump has used the World Cup as an opportunity to brand the United States as going it alone, with little care for positive relations with its neighbors or other countries. The Trump administration has imposed onerous travel requirements on foreign fans, preventing supporter groups, players, and even a FIFA referee from being able to participate in the tournament. While Americans themselves have been warmly welcoming of fans from around the world, the U.S. government has proven hostile. Trump, empowered by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has sought to make himself the face of the tournament and reportedly will present the winning team with the World Cup trophy. Instead of lifting the World Cup alongside its neighbors, the United States is attempting to take the limelight for itself. Even if the World Cup proves to be the spectacle the hosts imagined, it will not bring North America closer together.