Andrew Giuliani has warned the US faces ‘billions’ of attacks (Image: Getty)
A senior figure within Donald Trump’s inner circle has warned that the United States could be exposed to “billions” of attacks during this summer’s World Cup.
In May last year, Trump appointed Andrew Giuliani to lead the White House World Cup Task Force, placing him in charge of coordinating preparations and planning around the tournament, with America hosting 78 of the 104 games scheduled to take place across the US, Mexico and Canada.
One of the tasks Giuliani must battle is to help put together a colossal security operation which will cost almost $1 billion. The 40-year-old was instructed by the president to “help plan the biggest, safest and most extraordinary soccer tournament in history.” Meanwhile, a World Cup player under investigation for alleged sexual assault at team hotel.
Giuliani has warned that the United States could face “billions” of cyberattacks this summer, with the upcoming World Cup expected to be one of the most heavily targeted events of Trump’s second term.
Separately, security experts have raised concerns over potential threats including the possible “awakening” of Iranian sleeper cells and warnings of an “imminent danger” posed by drone attacks.
Giuliani was appointed as the head of the White House World Cup task force (Image: Getty)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has allocated a combined $625 million to host cities, aimed in part at strengthening security measures and bolstering defences against potential terrorist threats ahead of major upcoming events, including the World Cup. In addition, a further $250 million has been invested to enhance protections against drone activity in US airspace, with preparations also extending toward the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“We want state and local [government] to be able to mitigate [against] drones, just like they would be able to protect the grounds around stadiums,” Giuliani told the Daily Mail. “It’s such a fast and evolving landscape… [and] something that we that we wanted to move very fast on.”
Security is expected to be significantly tightened each time Trump attends a match, amid heightened concerns around high-profile public appearances. Since returning to the Oval Office, the president has been present at several major sporting events, including the Super Bowl and the Ryder Cup.
There will be a heavy police presence at the World Cup this summer (Image: Getty)
Giuliani has reportedly played a key role in coordinating aspects of the president’s schedule for the Word Cup.
“We expect him to be at the final,” Giuliani says. “I’ve got to have a direct conversation with him, finalizing where he wants to be. As president, Trump can only really pencil plans into his calendar, but he rarely misses a good PR opportunity. I have probably spoken with him since I took the job a couple dozen times on this. And he understands that this is the largest platform that the US will have to be able to show off American exceptionalism over our 250th birthday.”
With less than a month to go until the World Cup, the build-up has been overshadowed by a string of controversies spanning transport concerns, visa complications, and wider geopolitical tensions. Ticket pricing has emerged as the most contentious issue of all. Even Trump reportedly said last week that he “wouldn’t pay” to attend the USMNT’s opener against Paraguay, where the cheapest resale tickets are understood to be approaching $1,000.
Giuliani has acknowledged the prices are “exorbitant,” though he has indicated that his Task Force is not expected to intervene directly. “The amount of requests of tickets – which crossed the half-billion mark in late January just shows the demand” he says. “There are seven million tickets available, [so] you can see why the prices might be exorbitant. But as the federal government, that hasn’t been part of our mission set. We’re not believers in price controls.”
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