FIFA under pressure by Trump administration to adopt anti-trans policy for Women’s World Cup
FIFA’s anti-discrimination partner Fare network says the Trump administration is trying to adopt similar anti-transgender policies introduced by the International Olympic Committee in 2026
By Aaron Sugg
FIFA is facing pressure from the Trump administration to ban transgender women from competing in the 2031 Women’s World Cup held in America.
Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House World Cup Task Force, told POLITICO that securing a rule ensuring “women play in the Women’s World Cup and not biological men” could become a major policy issue for countries competing.
In February 2025, at the very beginning of Trump’s second tenure as president of the United States, he signed executive order, ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’.
The law has since prevented transgender women from competing in female sports categories in federally funded institutions.
Who does Donald Trump’s ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ affect?
The ruling particularly affects transgender women and girls from competing on female sports teams in schools and universities.
As of June 2026, 29 states restrict transgender athletes’ participation in school sports. However, if the White House proposed policy comes into effect, it will impact adult trans women globally who compete on the world stage.
The ban was recently challenged in Idaho and West Virginia, though the Supreme Court dismissed the counterargument, meaning the ban still applies.
Trump called the transgender sports challenge “ridiculous”
Trump celebrated the ruling as a “BIG WIN”, adding: “Wow! That takes that ridiculous situation off the table!!!”
A similar example was when the International Olympic Committee ruled earlier this year that transgender women are banned from competing in all future female events.
The blanket ban, titled Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport, confirmed that the regulation will apply to all future Olympic Games.
FIFA’s anti-discrimination partner warns against the Trump administrations order
In light of the Trump administration’s comments, FIFA’s anti-discrimination partner Fare network has warned against a permanent ban.
Piara Powar, executive director of Fare network, said a restriction would increase stigma against transgender athletes and women with intersex characteristics.
“We think it’s important that even if a ban comes into force for the World Cup in 2031 it should not be embedded in FIFA regulations permanently.”
Piara Powar from the Fare network said FIFA should not “exclude human beings”
“FIFA should not go the way of the IOC and exclude human beings from participation in football,” they said.
FIFA currently does not have a centralised sex-verification system, and it has not yet been revealed by the Trump administration how they plan to indicate whether a player is transgender or not.
Attitude presumes it will take similar measures to those the IOC has implemented, which determine whether one is eligible in the first instance through an SRY gene screening to determine biological sex.
How is the International Olympic Committee determining transgender athletes?
Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene will permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the female category.
According to the official announcement, the IOC states that athletes with an SRY-positive screen, including XY transgender and androgen-sensitive XY-DSD athletes, will be allowed to compete in events in which their screening permits.