White House task force members attend CFP title game to prepare for the World Cup

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Members of the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup attended the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night as part of their preparation for the tournament that is expected to draw millions of tourists to the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

The task force, created by President Donald Trump, is coordinating the federal government’s security and planning for the tournament, working with agencies that include the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Justice and others.

“We’re fascinated to see what tonight looks like,” Andrew Giuliani, the task force's executive director, told The Associated Press. “I think tonight especially, the reason why I wanted to be here was because soccer fans can be highly emotional. You’re obviously tonight going to get an emotional fan base with the University of Miami being here that is either going to be very happy or not as happy after the end of this. So I’m very interested to see what that looks like ... and how we can learn from this game for the World Cup.

“It’s not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, but it’s probably one of the closest we’re going get between now and the kickoff to the World Cup.”

The World Cup has an expanded field of 48 teams playing 104 matches, and it's the first time the tournament will be played across three countries. Seventy-eight of 104 matches will be played in the U.S., with 13 games each in Mexico and Canada, and as many as six matches a day. The final will be July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Hard Rock Stadium, where Miami faced Indiana in Monday's CFP title game, will host seven matches, including one between Colombia and Portugal on June 27. Colombia played at the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins during the 2024 Copa America, when ticketless fans rushed the gates for a match against Argentina, leaving fans terrified and bloodied as security struggled to contain the crush.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has since said it learned lessons from that incident. There was increased security last summer at the Club World Cup, including added checkpoints that will likely remain in place this year.

“If you don’t have tickets, you shouldn’t be on site here,” Giuliani said. “It’s not like an American football game where there’s tailgating. This is very different. We want to make sure the security resources are here for those ticketed fans. If you’re not ticketed, you have fan festivals. You have other events in the Miami area where you can go and enjoy and be safe.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said the task force will ensure that every visitor who travels from around the world “feels safe, feels happy and feels that we are doing something special.”

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Indiana takes the field against Miami before the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s left-leaning president Rumen Radev announced on Monday that he is stepping down from the mostly ceremonial post.

Radev has indicated he may contest an upcoming election that’s widely expected after protests forced a center-right government to step down. The left-leaning president was an opponent of the government and threw his support to the protests in early December.

In a televised address, Radev said that he will formally submit his resignation to the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

Under the constitution, the current vice president, Iliana Yotova, must be sworn in by parliament to take the post until the end of the presidential mandate.

“The battle for the future of our homeland lies ahead, and I believe we will face it together with all of you — the worthy, the inspired, and the unyielding! We are ready. We can, and we will succeed!” Radev said in his address.

Radev’s decision comes amid public expectation that he will form a new political party.

His resignation, the first by a head of state in Bulgaria’s post-communist history, comes as the country — which is a member of the European Union and NATO — struggles to overcome a prolonged political crisis.

Large anti-corruption protests last month forced the resignation of the governing coalition, led by the center-right GERB party. Attempts to form a new government within the current parliament have subsequently failed, and the country is headed towards its eighth parliamentary election since 2021.

Radev, whose second mandate ends in 2026, has repeatedly indicated he may take part in new elections. The 62-year-old former Air Force general, has been a vocal opponent of the leader of the GERB party, Boyko Borissov, and of politician and oligarch Delyan Peevski, who has been under U.S. and U.K. sanctions, and whose MRF New Beginning party has repeatedly backed the outgoing GERB-led coalition.

Radev did not mention on Monday what his plans are. Asked recently about forming a new party, he said there was a need for a party that “unites all democrats — left and right — regardless of where they belong or whether they are politically active at all, because we all need fair elections and democratic, free development.”

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev announces that he is stepping down from his position at Bulgarian Presidency, Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev leaves after announcement that he is stepping down from his position at Bulgarian Presidency, Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev announces that he is stepping down from his position at Bulgarian Presidency, Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026 (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev announces that he is stepping down from his position at Bulgarian Presidency, Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026 (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)