Andrew Giuliani on managing World Cup security and whether Trump will attend

Andrew Giuliani, appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, visited Levi's Stadium to oversee security preparations, including new drone defenses. He stated that Trump may attend future matches, calling the president a 'cliffhanger.' The task force coordinates federal and local law enforcement across 11 U.S. host cities, treating each of the 78 matches like a Super Bowl.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...Andrew Giuliani was in town on Saturday to manage security for the 2026 World Cup https://www.mercurynews.com/tag/world-cup/ at the behest of President Donald Trump https://www.mercurynews.com/tag/donald-trump/ . During his visit, he took time to share his thoughts on the games and the president’s possible attendance at Levi’s Stadium https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/13/kurtenbach-a-miracle-header-saved-the-bay-areas-first-2026-world-cup-game-from-being-a-total-disaster/ . White House Task Force FIFA World Cup 2026 https://www.whitehouse.gov/fifa-2026-task-force/ , a role that President Trump appointed him to in May https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/ /id/45029383/trump-names-rudy-giuliani-son-2026-world-cup-task-force-leader . The task force has the duty of making sure that local and state law enforcement coordinate well with federal agencies involved in monitoring the competition, such as the FBI, NSA and ICE. “We have continually worked through this process 24/7 throughout the duration of the World Cup, and I think it’s going to be an unbelievable opportunity to show off American exceptionalism to the rest of the world,” Giuliani said. The vast size of the World Cup is perhaps the biggest challenge of this job https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/12/south-bay-public-health-officials-prepare-for-world-cup/ , he said. “We’re talking about 78 matches over 11 American host cities, three cities in Mexico and two in Canada. The way that we’ve set it up, it’s like 78 Super Bowls from a security perspective.” Among the measures put in effect at the Santa Clara stadium and those in other cities are new protections against drone incursions. For the first time ever, all 78 of the World Cup’s matches will be protected with counter-UAS unmanned aircraft systems mitigation equipment, and there are now higher fines in place against flying drones near sports stadiums. “What I’ll tell you is that, especially in this field, as I’m sure people can imagine, the tech is moving so fast on this. The half-life is probably six weeks to three months at this point,” Giuliani said. “So when you think about how the government generally moves at a slower pace, it’s been amazing to see just how fast we’ve been able to go. And I think, frankly, that’s because of the mandate and the leadership of the 47th president of the United States on this. “I know the Coast Guard in particular is covering the Santa Clara stadium with counter-UAS,” he added, “so kudos to the United States Coast Guard and the work that they’ve done here.” Agents with ICE are also in the Bay Area to monitor the World Cup, particularly those with the division of Homeland Security Investigations HSI . “Without them and without their expertise, it would be difficult to secure the sites from all the potential threat actors,” he said. President Trump so far has not attended any World Cup matches, including the U.S. men’s national team’s opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12. It is “highly unusual” for a head of state to miss out on these openers, according to The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7353725/2026/06/12/donald-trump-world-cup-us-opening-game/ . But Giuliani said don’t be surprised if Trump drops in on future games, which run until July 19. “I’ve known President Trump for 30 years, and all I can tell you is he likes a cliffhanger. … I wouldn’t rule anything out in terms of what President Trump would do.” Giuliani signed off by noting that he’s sought advice on World Cup security from no less an authority figure than his own father. “Obviously, he was mayor the first year the World Cup came to New York and New Jersey in 1994 . It’s been interesting going back and seeing the differences in the security setup pre-9/11 versus post-9/11, and how much the tournament has grown and the threat picture has changed since then. “But I’m so proud of him,” he added. “I’ll tell you, about a month and a half back, he was unconscious, and we weren’t sure if he was going to make it. … When he pulled out of it, he took a couple of minutes and gained his breath, looked at me and said, ‘What the hell are you doing here? You got to get to D.C.,’ because he knew there were about 40 days until the World Cup kicked off. And that was great.”