By the time much of America awoke to Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday, the president-elect had already received an enthusiastic message from his most powerful admirer in sports.
“Congratulations Mr President!” FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote in an Instagram post replete with emoji. “We will have a great FIFA World Cup and a great FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America!”
Infantino concluded by tagging Trump, a man he has known since at least 2018 — and now, a man whose favor he’ll need to curry.
He also sounded pleased — perhaps, soccer insiders speculated, because he is. Trump’s autocratic governance, three insiders told Yahoo Sports, could help FIFA plan the 2026 men’s World Cup, which the United States will co-host alongside Mexico and Canada. One cited a famous 2013 line from Jérôme Valcke, FIFA’s then-general secretary, that has rung true throughout a messy 2026 planning process: “Less democracy is sometimes better for organizing a World Cup.”
In conversations and messages over the past two weeks, before and after the election, other officials involved in World Cup preparations cautioned that the implications of a Trump presidency were and are unclear. “It’s too early to tell,” one observer said.
Some noted that Trump’s isolationist policies, his anti-immigrant rhetoric, his volatility and his divisiveness were wild cards, and could complicate an event that purports to “unite the world.”
But they were all certain that Trump will embrace the World Cup — and, two summers later, the 2028 Olympics. Many can already envision him alongside Infantino, à la Vladimir Putin at Russia 2018, front and center as the U.S. puts on an unparalleled show. “Trump obviously is gonna lean in,” one insider said. “He’s gonna love the politics of it.”
And so, in return, his administration will surely lean into the organization of the tournament — once they have the bandwidth for it.
Trump’s influence on FIFA’s operations
World Cups require planning. Layers and layers of planning. FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, owns and operates the event, but has long relied on local entities to shoulder expenses and logistical loads. In Russia, for example, Putin’s government and the Russian Football Union jointly established a central organizing committee. Qatar formed the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, which partnered with FIFA. In North America, an expanding FIFA has been more hands-on, but it still commands the cooperation of “host committees” in each host city. Those committees, in turn, have been working with their governments — local, state and federal — to secure funding and operational support. And that, of course, is where the U.S. president comes in.
FIFA and the host committees have spent years cultivating relationships within Congress and the Joe Biden administration. They’ve lobbied for federal assistance, particularly with security. FIFA even hired a head of government relations, Alex Sopko, straight from Biden’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Now, they’ll all have to build new relationships. Although some lower-level agency staffers will remain, Trump will appoint an entirely new cabinet and deputies. The change of administration, according to three people familiar with the World Cup process, could exacerbate organizational delays. It could interrupt or distract from ongoing conversations around security and visas.
“A [Kamala] Harris administration was more likely to be able to hit the ground running and build on what the current administration was already pursuing to prepare for the World Cup,” one person familiar with the efforts told Yahoo Sports via email. “The incoming Trump administration will have a lot on its plate, many competing priorities, a disproportionate amount of focus on the southern border and border enforcement. Accordingly, my hunch is that it’s going to be a bit harder to get their attention in the early days. World Cup preparation is likely to take a back seat at the outset.”
The counterargument, though, is that once the World Cup does come into focus, Trump and his advisers will be more willing to flaunt convention, cut through bureaucracy and give Infantino what he wants.
Rather than funneling FIFA through a complex web of departments, including Homeland Security and State, Trump, “if he decides this is something he wants to ensure is a success,” could “streamline” the World Cup process, said Travis Murphy, a former State Department officer and now the CEO of Jetr Global Sports + Entertainment.
This, after all, is how Infantino likes to operate. He has cozied up to dictators, such as Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman. He is accustomed to dealing with singular, powerful figures — such as the president of a national soccer federation, or a sports minister, or even a head of state — to get things done.
And that, in 2018, is what led him to Trump.
After FIFA members chose North America to host the 2026 tournament, Infantino and Trump had a friendly meeting in the Oval Office. They exchanged gifts and developed a close relationship. Their camaraderie continued at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Infantino praised Trump, and Trump reciprocated by calling Infantino a “great friend.”
Fast forward to this past May, the two met again at a Formula 1 race in Miami. However, during the interim period, Infantino struggled to secure a meeting with Biden, forcing FIFA to navigate bureaucratic hurdles. The lack of a centralized sports ministry or World Cup-specific entity complicated matters, causing some to joke that “FIFA forgot how democracy worked.”
With Trump’s recent election seen as a potential positive for FIFA and Infantino, speculation arose that a meeting between the two could take place during the presidential transition at Trump’s residence in Mar-a-Lago. Immigration and visa concerns for World Cup fans were also raised, given Trump’s past calls for stricter immigration policies, including a possible travel ban affecting fans from certain countries.
Despite potential challenges, some believe that Trump’s favorable treatment towards FIFA could offset any negative impacts. Trump had previously assured Infantino of an “open and festive” World Cup, promising non-discriminatory entry for athletes, officials, and fans from all countries. Infantino echoed this sentiment, stating that he had no concerns about any team or fans facing issues entering the United States for the World Cup. The message is rewritten.