Current FIFA President Gianni Infantino didn’t have much of a relationship with former American President Joe Biden, even with the 2026 World Cup set to be jointly hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2026.
Donald Trump was the U.S. President when the location was finalized in 2018 and maintains a strong relationship with the FIFA President. Infantino, speaking at the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Northern Island, justified the closeness of his relationship with Trump, which has been the subject of plenty of scrutiny from around the world.
“I think it is absolutely crucial for the success of a World Cup to have a close relationship with the president,” he said. “We are organizing a Club World Cup this year, the first ever FIFA Club World Cup, 32 teams in the United States of America.”
The expanded Club World Cup is set to take place in a handful of the biggest American stadiums this summer and will serve as a preview for the 2026 World Cup – much like the Confederations Cup served in years past.
“We’re organizing a World Cup next year in the United States, Mexico and Canada,” Infantino continued. “And let’s not forget that when the bidding happened for that World Cup, President Trump was already president of the United States.”
There were a host of other geopolitical issues on the docket in Northern Ireland, including Trump calling Canada the 51st state, and Russia’s possible inclusion at the 2026 World Cup.
Trump was in his first term when the US were awarded the 2026 World Cup back in 2018 (
Getty Images)
Infantino was also in attendance as Trump was sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States back in January, sitting in a section alongside some of the other most powerful men in the world (see: Mark Zuckerburg, Elon Musk).
“What an incredible honor, [and] what an incredible privilege at the victory rally. (US) President Donald J. Trump, in his speech, mentioned FIFA, mentioned myself, thanking us, looking forward to the events we are organising here, of course, the (FIFA) World Cup mostly,” Infantino said at the time.
“I would like to thank President Trump, with whom I have a great friendship, and to assure him that, together, we will make not only America great again, but also the entire world, of course, because football — or soccer — unites the world,” he continued.
“We’ve known each other a long time, and I’m so honored to have this kind of a relationship because soccer is going through the roof,” Trump said of his special guest. “As everybody knows, it’s been doing fantastically well.”
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