U.S. president Donald Trump has publicly offered his support to embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino as pressure mounts on the soccer executive to step down from his role following a controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino has faced intense criticism since spearheading FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed subsidiary of FIFA that would have bundled the men’s and women’s World Cups plus the respective Club World Cups. Around 20% of FFE would have been sold for roughly $4 billion to private investors including Thrive Eternal, a holding company led by venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared is Trump’s son-in-law. Infantino’s plan was scrapped days later but he now faces unprecedented pressure to step down after nearly a decade of unchallenged power as the FIFA president.
“Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. “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 has been a longtime member of Trump’s orbit, a relationship that has been controversial in its own right. Several members of the FIFA Congress walked out of their annual meeting in 2025 when Infantino arrived in Asuncion, Paraguay several hours late because he opted to take part in Trump’s tour of the Middle East, while Infantino’s choice to award Trump the newly-invented FIFA Peace Prize last December has earned condemnation. Trump’s claim that he influenced FIFA’s decision to make U.S. men’s national team forward Folarin Balogun available for their eventual round of 16 defeat to Belgium in this summer’s World Cup despite his red card in the previous game also lingers over Infantino as his leadership continues to be called into question.
Trump’s statement comes a day after UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC – soccer’s respective governing bodies in Europe, North America and Asia – issued their recent condemnation of Infantino. They accused Infantino of a “fundamental breach of trust” following the FFE debacle since the proposal was conceived without the knowledge of most of the sport’s high-ranking officials, the FIFA president skipping proper procedure along the way. The trio also implied that they would welcome Infantino’s resignation before March’s presidential election, which will take place at the FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco.
Infantino’s future at FIFA in question
It is unclear what influence, if any, Trump will have on Infantino’s campaign to win re-election, the vote slated for March at the FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco. Trump does not have a vote – the leaders of FIFA’s 210 eligible member associations (MAs) make up the constituency, a long list of federations that includes U.S. Soccer.
The American organization has yet to publicly call for Infantino’s resignation, but backed Concacaf’s Monday statement while calling for “meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability.” U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson reported the federation’s official stance will be discussed at next month’s board meeting, a group that is mostly made up of American soccer executives.
Trump’s potential influence on the upcoming FIFA presidential election may also technically run the risk of violating FIFA’s statutes, with Article 15(c) explicitly requiring MAs “to be independent and avoid any form of political interference.” FIFA has been inconsistent in how it upholds that particular rule — U.S. Soccer has not faced any punishment for Trump’s claim that he played a part in the Balogun affair, but in recent years suspended the federations of Nepal, Pakistan and the Republic of the Congo for third-party interference. Nepal is still serving its ban and will not have a vote at March’s FIFA Congress.
The input from the U.S. president also seems unlikely to sway Infantino’s critics. Though Concacaf and the AFC have a few breakaway countries, those continents plus UEFA’s unanimous bloc make up 127 votes against Infantino’s re-election, well above the magic number of 106 that would ensure the simple majority needed.
Infantino is still running unopposed, though Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is reportedly mulling a bid. Candidates have until Nov. 18 to enter the race.
