Sport7 min(s) read
Published 10:53 11 Aug 2026 GMT
Donald Trump has come to the defense of FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, following calls for him to step down as President of the world governing body.
Infantino recently announced plans to sell stakes in the World Cup, with 20% going to private investors - proposals that were widely condemned by the footballing world, with Europe’s governing body UEFA threatening to boycott should they go ahead.
Included in the plans was a further expansion of the World Cup, from 48 to 64 teams – prompting further backlash, with three continental federations, UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF writing an open letter to Infantino requesting his resignation.
The aforementioned governing bodies accused Infantino of “trust broken through deception” and criticized his failure to acknowledge that the plan should not have been launched unilaterally.
Trump has been a long-standing ally of Infantino, with the two striking up a close relationship before and during the recent 2026 World Cup, culminating in the pair appearing together at last month's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, where they presented the players with their medals and the trophy.
Until Monday, Trump had not publicly spoken about the heightening pressure on Infantino, despite reports that the head of FIFA’s calls for support from the US leader were ignored.
Despite the head of the proposed investor group, Joshua Kushner, being the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to reports.
Addressing reporters at Camp David, Trump revealed that it would be a “terrible mistake” should Infantino be relieved of his duties as head of football’s world governing body.
This comes after Infantino’s long-term adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, stood down in protest, while legend Luis Figo called him “deceitful” in an explosive statement on X (formerly Twitter), which concluded with “He should go. Now,”
Trump had commended this summer's World Cup as "one of the all-time greatest sporting events in history," just months after he was awarded the inaugural 'FIFA Peace Prize'.
Addressing the ongoing issues with Infantino's presidency, Trump took to Truth Social to say: "FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino.
"He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented.
"If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT"
A full timeline of Donald Trump with Gianni Infantino.
Infantino made his first visit to the White House on August 28, 2018. He brought gifts. A jersey. Yellow and red cards. He told Trump the red card could be used to 'kick out' whoever he wanted.
Trump loved it. He held the red card up to the press pack and grinned. He called Infantino 'a highly respected man'.
That was the start.
Infantino came back to Washington in September 2020 to talk World Cup logistics. While he was in town, he also dropped in on Attorney General William Barr to 'personally thank the US authorities for their work in the fight against corruption in football'.
Infantino visited Mar-a-Lago on January 17, two days before Trump's second inauguration. They talked about the Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup.
At the pre-inauguration rally two days later, Trump told the crowd: "So I am going to be your President for the Olympics and for the World Cup. So Gianni, thank you for the World Cup."
Trump signed an executive order creating a White House task force on the World Cup. Infantino stood next to him.
During the signing, Trump said: "What happened is, they rigged the election, and I became president. So that was a good thing."
The clip went everywhere. Snopes confirmed the quote was real but noted it was unclear whether he meant 2020 or 2024.
Infantino went on an official Middle East tour with Trump instead of turning up to the start of the FIFA Congress on time.
He arrived late. UEFA delegates walked out.
European Parliament members later pointed to the incident as proof that Infantino had stopped even pretending to be politically neutral.
FIFA announced the creation of the FIFA Peace Prize. It had never existed before. There was no published criteria. No independent jury. No shortlist.
When asked at a business conference in Miami whether Trump would be the first recipient, Infantino said: "On the 5th of December, you will see."
The 2026 World Cup draw took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Infantino handed Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. Trophy, medal, certificate. The works.
Trump called it 'one of the great honours of my life'.
The Village People performed. Shaquille O'Neal helped with the draw.
Fifty members of the European Parliament later wrote to FIFA demanding an ethics investigation into the award. FairSquare, a human rights advocacy group, filed a formal ethics complaint. Infantino told Sky News that "objectively, he deserves it."
Infantino posted on Instagram confirming that Trump had 'reiterated' that Iran's national team was 'welcome to compete' at the World Cup in the United States despite the Middle East conflict.
The next day, Iran's sports minister said a squad would not be sent.
US striker Folarin Balogun got a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Trump rang Infantino directly.
He later told reporters: "I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. I didn't know what the hell a red card was."
FIFA reversed the one-game suspension. It was the first time a World Cup red card had not resulted in a suspension since 1962.
Infantino said the decision was made by 'independent judicial bodies'. A Trump adviser said the president had not asked for a specific outcome. Trump said: "I didn't tell him what to do. I can't tell him what to do. And I don't believe he made the decision."
UEFA said FIFA had 'crossed a red line'. Belgium said it was 'astonished'.
Trump later claimed full credit: "I'm the one that got them to do it."
FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York, two days before the World Cup final.
Trump called the tournament 'the most successful sporting event maybe in the history of the world'.
Infantino called it 'the greatest human, social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed and seen'.
Trump said Infantino 'made yet another of his good decisions' about the Balogun reversal.
CNBC reported that Trump had received $15,000 in FIFA tickets from Infantino.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 at MetLife Stadium. Trump presented the trophy alongside Infantino. Standard protocol for the president of the host nation, though not a moment either man seemed to mind.
Infantino proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise, a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup's commercial rights to private equity investors.
Bloomberg reported the idea came out of private conversations between Infantino and Joshua Kushner, Jared Kushner's brother. Thrive Capital, Joshua's venture capital firm, was expected to lead the investor group. J.P. Morgan was brought in to develop the proposal.
It lasted about a week.
UEFA, Concacaf, and the AFC revolted. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's top envoy to Trump and the president of US Soccer, resigned. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham called Infantino the 'wrong man' to lead FIFA.
Senator Ron Wyden said the plan raised corruption concerns and called it one of 'dozens of shady deals by Trump's family and close associates to get rich from the presidency'.
The three confederations issued a joint letter saying trust had been 'broken through deception' and that Infantino had placed himself 'above the collective that entrusted him with authority'.
Preliminary discussions about breakaway competitions began.
Trump, asked at Camp David whether he had advance notice, said: "No, I never spoke to him."
Trump posted on Truth Social: "FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino. He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again."
Infantino is up for re-election next year. UEFA, Concacaf, and the AFC are still talking about breakaway competitions. The relationship between the two men is now at the centre of a potential schism in world football.
