Staff from Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and key stakeholders are in the United States to participate in the delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
The SC said in a LinkedIn post that the exchange is happening as part of a knowledge and expertise transfer Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the SC and FIFA.
The MoU was signed by SC Managing Director, HE Hassan Al Thawadi, and FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, at a ceremony held in Doha, Qatar.
As part of the agreement, a dedicated team of experts from Qatar, many of whom played instrumental roles in delivering landmark tournaments including the FIFA World Cup 2022™, the FIFA Arab Cup™ in 2021 and 2025, and the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025™, have been deployed to several host cities across the United States and Canada.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international Men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11th-July 19th, 2026.
It will be jointly hosted by 16 Cities – 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada. The tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup™ to be hosted by three nations and the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from 32.
As part of the knowledge exchange, participants are applying their expertise across a range of functional areas — from tournament operations and workforce readiness to fan engagement and technological innovation — drawing on lessons learned from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
A second contingent of staff from the SC and its main stakeholders are also engaging in an observation programme at the tournament, designed to help participants better understand the organisation of cross-border mega-events, the challenges associated with them, and the skills required to navigate them successfully.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, said: “The commitment, skill and passion of everyone involved in this project has been absolutely amazing. We have seen the expertise that Qatar has built over the years in hosting world-class events – from its sporting facilities to hotels, airport, transportation, as well as human skills.
“Qatar has delivered not only a fantastic World Cup in 2022, but since then, hosted several notable events, including the first 48-team U-17 World Cup. The FIFA Arab Cup has also been a tremendous success. I’m always impressed by the seamless delivery of tournaments here.
“Football unites the world and contributes to providing an unforgettable experience for millions of people across the world. This is thanks to the incredible job done by amazing talents.”
As the first FIFA World Cup™ held in the Middle East, Qatar 2022 set new benchmarks for innovation, operational efficiency, and fan experience, leaving behind a lasting legacy of infrastructure, sustainability, and human capital.
Beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Qatar has hosted a number of major sporting events including the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023. Most recently, in 2025, Qatar made history by hosting the finals of three FIFA competitions in the space of three weeks.
This included the first 48-team FIFA U-17 World Cup™, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™, and the FIFA Arab Cup™.
Qatar is set to welcome the world once again when it hosts the second of five consecutive editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ from 19 November to 13 December 2026.
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