"FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino." That's Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social, wading into one of football's messiest political scraps with his usual subtlety.
Infantino is under fire on two fronts: allegations of a workplace affair and sharp criticism over a failed private investment scheme. He's denied any wrongdoing, and FIFA has circled the wagons around him — dismissing the backlash as "a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine" the organisation. Now add the sitting US president to the pro-Infantino camp, and the political geometry of this gets genuinely complicated.
A split that runs right through the World Cup hosts
What makes this awkward is that the 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico — and Trump is publicly contradicting his own football federation. US Soccer, Canada Soccer, and football bodies across Central America and the Caribbean all issued statements critical of Infantino. Trump went the opposite direction, calling the FIFA president "fantastic" and crediting him with presiding over "the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented."
That last claim is a stretch given the 2026 tournament hasn't concluded yet, but Trump has never let chronology slow down a compliment.
The broader picture is that Infantino actually has significant support beyond Trump. CONMEBOL and the Confederation of African Football are both backing him, which matters enormously when it comes to the vote. He faces reelection next March, and raw numbers across South America and Africa could be enough to see him through regardless of what US Soccer thinks.
What this means for the vote
For all the noise, FIFA presidential politics runs on bloc voting — always has. Trump's endorsement plays well rhetorically but carries no actual vote. The continental federations that matter are already largely in Infantino's corner. Unless more governing bodies break ranks in the coming months, his position looks more durable than the headlines suggest.
Still, having the president of the host nation publicly at odds with that nation's own football association is a genuinely unusual situation. It won't resolve cleanly, and it adds another layer of dysfunction to a tournament that was already operating inside a political pressure cooker.
Infantino's reelection campaign starts in earnest now. And apparently, so does Trump's.
