Episode
48 Teams. 40 Days. One Old Town: Andrew Giuliani on FIFA World Cup 2026
- Published
- Jun 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2069
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824/episodes/48-teams-40-days-one-old-town-andrew-giuliani-on-fifa-world-cup-2026/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824/48-teams-40-days-one-old-town-andrew-giuliani-on-fifa-world-cup-2026.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for FIFA World Cup 2026, sits down with host Jane Khodos Beyer to pull back the curtain on the most complex security and logistics operation in American sports history. From his days playing golf at Duke to serving in the Trump White House and running for governor of New York, Andrew's path to leading the federal effort behind a 48-team, 78-game, 40-day tournament is anything but ordinary. Andrew breaks down exactly what it takes to coordinate eight federal agencies, state and local law enforcement partners across 11 host cities, and counterparts in Mexico and Canada, all while protecting 1.6 billion viewers and making sure the world sees American exceptionalism on full display. Plus: why Old Town Alexandria was chosen as the home base for Team Croatia, how fans can still get tickets, and — because Jane and Andrew are both proud New Yorkers — who actually makes the best pizza. Plus, a lightning round on their favorite places around Old Town. 00:00 World Cup Stakes Intro 01:24 Meet Andrew Giuliani 02:58 Security Scale Explained 07:15 Task Force Structure 10:05 Trilateral Host Coordination 12:27 Tickets and Fan Festivals 15:10 Croatia Picks Old Town 17:56 Croatia in Town Impact 20:23 Why Soccer Rules Globally 22:31 Soccer Boom America 22:47 World Cup Sparks MLS 23:23 Womens Game Surge 24:00 2026 World Cup Outlook 24:26 New York Pizza Pivot 24:51 Iconic NYC Slices 25:44 West Village Pizza Tour 26:49 Old Town Pizza Taste 27:43 Soccer Terms Banter 28:14 Old Town Lightning Round 29:15 Coffee Dinner Drinks Picks 31:50 Game Watching Spots 32:29 Closing Thanks And Teamwork Around Old Town and Beyond Cooper Mill Pizza: IG: @thecoopermill Landini Brothers: IG: @landinibrothersinc Swings Coffee: IG: @swingscoffee Mi…