This is key, the host country (ies) and (before the change) the last champion are severely disadvantaged because the other teams come to the competition having passed through the crucible of qualification.
Truthfully, as of right now I’m putting odds at 50% of any matches being played in the USA. I don’t expect FIFA to pull out when the alternative is playing in a country governed by a corrupt regime – they played in Russia and Qatar, FFS. But tRump has his fingers in this and he’s already suggested moving games from cities that don’t bow down to him, and truthfully the USA may descend into Civil War II and/or be a Failed State by 11 June 2026 and FIFA may be left with no choice.
Don’t they get the benefit of less fatigue and wear/tear though?
Also, ISTM that host nations have typically done decently or pretty well. Mexico was a quarterfinalist in 1986, Italy was a semifinalist in 1990, USA was in Round of 16 in 1994, France won the trophy in 1998, Korea went to the semifinals in 2002 (albeit with some really dubious officiating,) Germany was a semifinalist in 2006, South Africa didn’t advance in 2010 but always was lousy anyway, Brazil was a semifinalist in 2014, Russia was a quarterfinalist in 2018, Qatar - well, didn’t advance in 2022.
That and the locality advantage (crowds, referees, etc) ameliorate the problem, but it still exists.
That’s not really a great factor, the pre-qualified teams will play a friendly for every qualifying round the others play, so the pure physical strain is about the same, although I grant that playing a qualifying group is more stressful than a few friendlies. But it’s a big advantage for teams to have played the qualifiers because especially mentally, competitive games are much better preparation before a big tournament, for the individual players and the whole team.
Oh Trump will be absolutely desperate to have his face plastered all over the World Cup, so there’s no danger of there not being games played in the US. I’m sure it’s just Trump bluster at this point. Plus there is virtually zero risk of FIFA pulling it from the US (the only language they speak is $$$, which they will lose if the US no longer hosting any games).
This whole thing Trum has for soccer baffles me. Hating soccer had long been a conservative thing. You should have heard the vitriol that came about it over the radio back when I leaned that way and listened to talk radio. It’s like their hatred for the Metric System: it may be useful, popular and accepted by basically the rest of the world, but it’s not ‘Murican so it must be a tool of the commies and/or the Devil. But Trump loves it. Likely because a) there’s money in it and b) Barron liked it and played it. I even read a few months ago that he was going to issue an Executive Order confirming that it’s called “football” and not “soccer.” Which would have pissed off legions of gridiron football fans, many (most?) of whom are conservative.
Well, that and the FIFA is as corrupt as he is.
Scotland are, ludicrously, on course to get to the play-offs. I say ludicrously because we have played atrociously in teh last couple of matches, and yet still contrived to come away with 6 points (robbing Greece 3-1, and getting out of Belarus 2-1). We’ve looked inept, lumpen, tactically deprived and individually listless, and still are sitting on 10 points from a possible 12, and looking good for second place.
On the one hand, if we’re getting these results playing below our potential then finding a higher gear should give us a real shot. On the other, we can’t be lucky forever.
Yeah I have no doubt the world cup will happen as planned next year (unless there is a full on civil war) working with narcissistic dictators (and making sure their palms get greased in the process) is FIFA’s whole deal. It’s not their first rodeo, they got this.
He cares as much for soccer as he does for the musical performances that are put on at the Kennedy Center. That is not at all. But he knows they are prestigious and held in high esteem in international elite circles (the same elite circles that have always had nothing but contempt for him, but whose adoration he craves). This is his desperate attempt to show those elites how awesome he is and have them change their tune and recognize him for the elite genius he is (in his mind)
In the Republican base of small town non-college educated white men that’s totally true. But Trump has never even pretended to be part of that group or even to spend any time with them (or bloody well p__s on them if they were on fire for that matter 
). Trump has always been part of the urban East coast international-leaning “elite” that the Republican party claims to hate (or has always aspired to be part of it, even if they have never treated him with anything but contempt). His whole political career is an attempt to get those elites to change their mind and accept him as one of his own (and silence the voice at the back of his head telling him everyone hates him and things he’s a low class real estate scammer from Long Island)
Sky News (take that for what it’s worth) checks in with FIFA, who says “yeah, he can determine which cities are safe for the World Cup.”
ETA I have a fair amount of insight about the security and field preparations taking place for the WC matches near me, I can’t even imagine some venue trying to scale that up on short notice. But certainly I can see some venue committing even if it’s tough to pull together - Ohio State (The Horseshoe) has hosted international soccer matches before, on short notice they might be able to put something together, and it would be a poke in the eyes of liberals to move it to Ohio.
Has anything changed since 2018? Because the USA most definitely didn’t make it then. The only real difference I can think of is that we’re now governed by a corrupt regime whose strongman has his hands in soccer. Do you think corruption will buy is into Cups moving forward? Or are you suggesting that the quality of play by the USMNT is now such that a repeat of 2018 is unlikely?
I’m not setting up a Gotcha or trying to debate your claim. I genuinely don’t understand it.
Good thing you said “as”. Because FIFA will not take second place in corruption to anyone.
They changed the format for the following World Cup where the five highest ranking teams (at the time it was Mexico, U.S.A, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Honduras) were given byes in the first two rounds of a three round format, but I’m no expert so perhaps it’s still just as challenging. Obviously they still have to win games of football to progress, and in 2018 the US were upset by Trinidad and Tobago.
This is an irresistible force vs an immovable object situation 
But what about the Olympic Comittee?
When FIFA and the IOC meet, they will blast in a giant explosion of corruption and different interests, like when matter and anti-matter meet.
He did say “not going to be made more difficult.” So, FIFA isn’t going to change CONCACAF qualifying in the future in any way that would make it likelier that the USA would miss out on a World Cup.