Kissinger joins US World Cup bid group

Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, has joined the American bid committee trying to convince FIFA to stage either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup in the United States, US Soccer said Monday.

Kissinger, who served from 1973 through 1977 and was a noted supporter of US soccer at the time, was invited onto the panel after having been chairman of a 16-member advisory panel that helped bring the 1994 World Cup to US cities.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Kissinger join us in our endeavor to bring back the World Cup to the United States,” US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said.

“He has done a tremendous amount for the sport in this country and his enthusiasm and knowledge of soccer will surely help us to earn the right to once again host the biggest sporting event in the world.”

Kissinger, who won the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, joins bid committee chairman Gulati, US Soccer chief executive Dan Flynn, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber and two businessman on the US bid group.

“I’m looking forward to being actively involved in the US bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups,” Kissinger said. “The US put on a fantastic World Cup in 1994 and we know if provided the opportunity to host the tournament again we will put together an event that will amaze soccer fans across the world.”

Rival bidders for the two World Cups include England, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium. South Korea and Qatar have applied only for the 2022 World Cup.

FIFA will name winning bidders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in December of next year.