FIFA President Gianni Infantino with President of the United States Donald J. Trump with the FIFA World Cup trophy during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match.
Catherine Ivill – Ama | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
President Donald Trump leapt to the defense of FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Monday, as the head of world soccer’s governing body faces pressure to resign following a failed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post late on Monday that FIFA would be “making a terrible mistake” if member associations move to replace Infantino. Should he depart, Trump said that the tournament “will never be as successful or profitable again!”
Infantino was the driving force behind FIFA’s most recent commercialization push, which culminated in the largest, most profitable World Cup on record this year – hosted in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
But he was forced to apologize after his plans to form a subsidiary to run the tournament, which would have opened the door for investors to buy stakes of up to 20% in a spinout firm, collapsed after widespread backlash across the sport.
Trump’s backing came after regional soccer governing bodies — Europe’s UEFA, North America’s CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation — issued a joint letter accusing Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” with the aborted proposal.
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” the federations wrote.
“There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgement – not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve,” they added.
Not all of world soccer is united in opposition to Infantino’s premiership, however. The national federations of Argentina, Mexico and Qatar are among those to express public support for his continued leadership.
Infantino’s close relationship with President Trump has been well-publicized and came under intense scrutiny during the 2026 World Cup.
The failed plot to sell stakes to private investors was also backed by Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital, whose brother Jared is Trump’s son-in-law.
