FIFA has responded to a tweet from Donald Trump which appears to warn nations against opposing the joint 2026 World Cup hosting bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

On Friday morning, Trump tweeted: "The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup. It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?"

In response, FIFA has released a statement to Reuters, which served as a reminder of the organization's official guidelines forbidding political influence that "may adversely affect the integrity of the Bidding Process and create an undue influence on the Bidding Process."

“As a general rule, we cannot comment on specific statements in connection with the bidding process. We can only refer to the FIFA Regulations for the selection of the venue for the final competition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and in particular to the Bid Rules of Conduct incorporated therein.”

Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto replied to the original Trump tweet saying, “We can have differences but football unites us. Together we support the candidacy of Mexico, Canada and USA as the headquarters of the World Cup 2026.”

Trump's interest in pursuit of the joint North American World Cup bid follows a letter from 42 US Senators asking the President for his public support.