State lawmakers flag concerns about World Cup

They consider visa delays, threats to ban countries and ticket prices as big hurdles.

- KEVIN BAXTER

DAN MULLAN Getty Images THE WORLD CUP DRAW will take place Friday morning at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C

With the World Cup just six months away and the tournament draw unfolding Friday, members of California’s congressional delegation are expressing concern about preparations for what will be the largest and most complex single-sport competition in history.

The tournament, which will feature 48 teams playing 104 games across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the 11 U.S. host cities to both showcase themselves to the world and grab a slice of what FIFA estimates will be a $30.5-billion economic impact. But to take full advantage of that opportunity, organizers need government assistance on issues ranging from visas to security while also dealing with ticket prices far beyond the means of the average fan.

The tournament draw will take place Friday morning at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where the 42 countries that already qualified will be randomly assigned to one of 12 groups for the tournament’s opening round. That’s the last major hurdle for a World Cup that will open June 11 in Mexico City and end July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J.

After that comes the Herculean task of putting on the first World Cup played in the U.S. in 32 years, one that will require bipartisan government cooperation on multiple levels. Get it right, and the upside is enormous. Get it wrong, and the damage to U.S. prestige will be significant.

And so far, the politicians say, the Trump administration has proven to be as combative as it has been cooperative.