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In the days after Fifa president Gianni Infantino returned from Donald Trump’s inauguration, sources who met with him couldn’t help but notice something. They could have sworn Infantino was starting to talk like Trump, as he constantly went on about “the biggest deals”. This might well have been a trick of the mind but parallels have been drawn with how some wannabe tech moguls start behaving like Elon Musk after two days visiting Tesla.
It doesn’t seem too much of a stretch given how Infantino nodded along and said yes as Trump absurdly spoke of how an unprecedented trade war between World Cup 2026 co-hosts USA, Canada and Mexico is “gonna make it more exciting”. “Tension is a good thing,” the US president added, as if this was managers exchanging barbs in press conferences.
Those within Fifa are keen to stress that Infantino nodding along and saying yes as Trump spoke wasn’t actually an endorsement of his views, but must be put in the context of being a guest at the White House.
These are certainly strange times for the World Cup, as European qualifying starts this weekend, just as these are strange times for the world. A first-ever tournament across three countries, now involving a bloated 48 teams, is quite a moment for the premier of the main host nation to provoke trade tensions with his ostensible partners. The soccer federations have meanwhile been isolated from the preparation as the president of Fifa so conspicuously aligns himself with Trump instead. Football executives were struggling to recall a situation comparable to Infantino attending Trump’s inauguration.
Fifa’s most strident critics are already talking of how the body are now facilitating “the Maga World Cup”. One senior source is of the opinion that Trump will use it to promote his political ideology and that source even labelled it as sportswashing.
November’s election victory has heightened worries about certain social issues at this World Cup, such as gun crime and the experience and minority groups, while human rights organisations have also expressed concern. Their anxieties include the Trump administration using the tournament as a platform for hateful rhetoric or culture war topics, protests being suppressed, unions having deals undercut, and the removal of homeless people.
open image in gallery
open image in gallery
Infantino might not be willing to declare that he “feels gay”, “like a migrant worker” or “like a woman” – in the way he so famously did ahead of the Qatar World Cup – in front of Trump’s base.
While the start of European qualifying always brings more focus on a tournament’s specific political issues, the 2026 World Cup already feels like it is a driver for something bigger, with human rights groups most concerned about how it could enable the ongoing authoritarian turn in global politics.
Infantino’s friendship with Trump is notable, given that the Fifa president hasn’t been anywhere near as close to the leaders in Canada and Mexico or to the previous Biden administration. They certainly haven’t declared him “the king of soccer, I guess, in a certain way”, like Trump did.
Fifa sources insist the stronger ties are simply down to Trump’s team having driven the victorious bid back in 2018 and the fact the tournament is getting closer. There is also a sense of having to keep the US president happy, with Infantino himself describing a close relationship as “absolutely crucial for the success of a World Cup”. That very line tells its own story and others claim the politics are more complex, with Infantino almost appearing to look up to Trump.
It fits with a growing theory that the US president is actually one of the most influential figures in modern football. It was his administration that first introduced Infantino to Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman, sparking a chain of events that led to an expanded Club World Cup in the US this summer, the proposed European Super League, and the next stage of the Saudi project.
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Such developments have ensured the future direction of football will be between the twin poles of New York and Riyadh. While much of the sport just wants to be given Saudi money, the US is where they want to make money. The world’s biggest commercial market, where interest in soccer is growing exponentially, is typically heralded as “football’s new frontier”.
The estimated revenue for this World Cup is $11bn – $4bn more than at Qatar 2022. Many major national teams have specifically gone for box-office managers because of the commercial opportunities. Spain’s LaLiga have outright said they want to play games in the US and other competitions have similar ambitions, even if they aren’t so open about it. Uefa’s new agreement with American agency Relevent is widely seen as a precursor to Champions League matches in the US.
It is in this context that Infantino’s machinations are viewed as far more consequential than a smooth World Cup. Fifa could well be the crucial first movers in a new football gold rush sparked by this tournament.
This summer’s expanded Club World Cup has already replaced the old Confederations Cup as the World Cup’s usual warm-up and Saudi investment into broadcaster DAZN has ensured that prize money for individual clubs could reach $90m. Many stakeholders are fearful this is going to change the entire outlook of football and such riches will very quickly bring a push for more frequent Club World Cups. Certain domestic leagues are already fearing for their future.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say these two American tournaments could herald the beginning of a truly globalised game – where superclubs play more major games in foreign countries despite the considerable irony that it will have been facilitated by those, such as Trump, with an anti-globalist agenda.
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Fifa have long wanted their own Champions League and it’s here where their influence in the US is more important, with real national politics coming into play. This is the first modern World Cup without a “Local Organising Committee”, as Fifa take all that in-house. That affords a direct line to cities, which could be useful for the future. It also means there isn’t a central body to guide on local sensitivities or potentially curb excesses.
Fifa insist all this is going smoothly, if not without some of the usual pre-tournament issues. Yet sources within some host cities say there is considerable tension, with one stating that Fifa “are absolutely detested at that level”.
The fact many of the host cities are Democrat strongholds, especially since soccer has always been a Democrat-leaning sport, adds a further layer. The wonder is what that constituency will think of “their” tournament turning Maga. Insiders state that the Biden administration wanted the United States Soccer Federation more involved. The association has instead been so excluded that those within it talk of how “we’re a host country but not a host federation”.
Politics have been at play there, too. Previous federation president Carlos Cordeiro was seen as close to Infantino but resigned in 2020 amid the US women’s push for equal pay. His federation even argued that it was “indisputable science” that men’s football “requires a higher level of skill”.
Cordeiro’s respected successor, Cindy Parlow Cone, has since been left fighting for benefits for US Soccer from their own World Cup. Cordeiro has meanwhile been back in the White House this month with Infantino, leading Fifa logistics.
open image in gallery
open image in gallery
Another irony comes in how Trump’s guiding message has been “America First”. Aside from US Soccer looking rather low down the list of beneficiaries here, he had Infantino talking about how the World Cup final is “20 times bigger than the Super Bowl”. Again, it might not play well to the base.
There are other political questions, with the biggest unknowns coming from the prospective trade war. The greatest challenges could surround border crossings, supply chains, basic logistics and even security coordination. Musk’s disembowelment of federal government hardly helps. Fifa are currently carrying on as normal since Trump has already proven so erratic on tariffs. Canada and Mexico are also seen to not particularly care about the World Cup, so long as they get their games and TV money.
But what if Trump starts flexing there? What if he starts demanding a greater share to reflect US centrality? Multiple sources say Fifa have to consider every possibility due to his personality. There may well be similar examples to Qatar pulling public beer sales on the eve of the 2022 World Cup.
Will Fifa follow Trump’s messaging on diversity, equity and inclusion? Will other themes have influence, like the live question over whether Greenland will apply to be a Fifa member amid Trump’s designs on the region? The continental federation, Concacaf, has already come out against the idea.
What if Trump turns on Infantino? Would he place a tariff on Fifa? Stranger things have happened, like the very context of this World Cup. “This is Fifa at the maximum of its respect,” Infantino said in one of his multiple social media posts related to the White House.
One insider has another description. “Everyone understands realpolitik, but there’s not much dignity about this.”
