Why does Trump love soccer now?
Reporter Adam Crafton on the bromance between Trump and FIFA -- and whether international World Cup fans will be safe in the United States
Last Sunday, Donald Trump made himself a major part of the FIFA Club World Cup — taking a starring role in the tournament’s final match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The game came less than one year before the men’s World Cup is set to kick off in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
We spoke to New York-based British journalist Adam Crafton, who covers soccer for The Athletic and The New York Times, about why Trump showed up at the game — and the escalating concerns about how the Trump administration’s immigration policies will impact the World Cup. This month, more than 90 civil society groups sent a letter urging FIFA to use its influence to ensure that international fans will have their rights protected in the United States.
It was a remarkable scene at the Club World Cup final last Sunday in New Jersey. Donald Trump showed up at the game and was front-and-center for the trophy presentation. You were at that final. Can you just talk a little bit about the crowd reaction to seeing Trump there?
So I actually sat with the crowd rather than in the press box, where it can be difficult to hear what's going in the seating. I can say what I heard from my vantage point. At the start of the game, as the Jumbotron went round, Trump and [FIFA President Gianni] Infantino came on the screen. It must have been half a second, a second. And there were definitely some boos at that point. But it wasn't entirely negative.
Now after the game, when Trump and Infantino and the owners of the teams walked onto the field, the boos were a lot more audible. And when Trump posed for photographs, the boos were very, very clear. As he was then walking off the pitch, he was waving at the crowd. There were some people waving at him, but there were also people around me giving the finger to him. So it was pretty remarkable to see.
Trump and FIFA seem like strange bedfellows. But you have Trump going to this final on Sunday – and even keeping the winner’s trophy. The Italian club Juventus was at the White House recently. FIFA even opened an office in Trump Tower. What's going on here? Why is Trump courting soccer, which is traditionally not associated with Republicans?
Trump does appear to see the world through ratings. He recognizes the exposure and reach and appeal that soccer has, although that’s not necessarily always been the case within the United States. But well over a billion people will watch the World Cup final next year. So I think Trump recognizes that this is a moment where there'll be a lot of eyeballs on the United States, and also on himself.
Trump wants his America to be the center of the universe – and a World Cup is one of those things that turns people in that direction. And he appears to like things that he can claim credit for. With this he is able to say things like, “when I was president last time, I got as the World Cup.”
There is some irony in that. I've done some reporting on what that bid process was actually like. And there were moments where some of the people who were doing the bid would be going around to some countries who were concerned about Trump – particularly some of the nations who had been on the end of alleged disparaging comments by him.
And the people who were doing the bid were saying things like, “well, don't worry, he won't be president by the time this comes around.” In fact, one of the original reasons why Canada and Mexico got involved was because of concerns that the world might not vote for America as a standalone World Cup.
Are players worried about coming to the US? I know some games will be in Mexico, some will be in Canada, but players from countries that might be on the banned list would be coming here as well. And then you have their fans. How strong are the guarantees that they're not going to face immigration problems?
As part of any bid to host the World Cup, FIFA require several guarantees that the White House needs to provide. So these are things such as tax breaks, but they're also guarantees about visas. FIFA received these guarantees. Trump's administration signed those. And I think the guarantees are pretty strong for the players, and for the federations and support staff and immediate relatives as well.
The White House established a task force on the World Cup chaired by Trump. They’ve appointed Andrew Giuliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, to be an executive director. From FIFA's point of view, I think that is quite reassuring given some of the concerns that people have around the rhetoric about people coming into the country.
But it does look like some supporters are going to find it really difficult to enter the country for the tournament. At the moment, there doesn't appear to be exemptions for fans. Iran has already qualified for the World Cup next year. Venezuela are reasonably well placed in the South American qualification. Plus, there are more travel bans potentially coming in as well. I think some of the countries referenced in the reporting by the New York Times and Washington Post were Egypt and Senegal.
Egypt is a pretty big soccer nation. I think it would be pretty embarrassing if Egyptian fans weren't able to watch their team at this World Cup. So it'll be interesting how FIFA navigates that.
Why do you think FIFA’s Infantino has been so eager to cozy up to Trump?
There seems to be a kind of bromance going on. In early 2020, Trump was faced with the US Senate laying its ground rules for its initial impeachment trial. At the time, Infantino introduced Trump to a dinner of CEOs at Davos as a “sportsman” and a “competitor.” This was at a point where a lot of people, both domestically and also globally, were starting to step back from Trump a bit.
And it's a pretty extraordinary thing for FIFA to be taking office space in a tower owned by the president. To be paying rent to a business in the president's name. Of all the buildings in the United States, that's the one that they chose to take.
I get the impression Trump might not be the biggest soccer fan. I'm sure you saw that he named Pele, who is obviously an all-time great, as his favorite player. I thought that was kind of a surprising choice in 2025.
I think it also shows the just how close this Infantino-Trump relationship has become. You have this Saudi-backed streaming platform DAZN that broadcast the Club World Cup, and they are able to get interview time with the president on Sunday. That’s where he made that comment.
And consider that Trump left at halftime of the Super Bowl when he went there. But for this game, he stayed the whole time. He was part of the presentation. He did an interview for the broadcaster associated with the tournament. And I think that really does underline just how ingratiated FIFA has managed to get themselves.
It's pretty remarkable that if you look at the last four World Cup hosts, they’re going to Saudi Arabia in the future, and then looking back you've got Russia, Qatar, and then the United States.
Yeah, you've just missed 2030 when there will be three continents and six countries hosting this tournament.
Still, that’s not a list that you would have previously expected the US to be on.
It tells you a lot about the world, right?
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Am glad you have written about this. Have pondered it myself: how will the Miller fascist xenophobes deal with the fans from sh*thole countries?
And then there are the 2028 Olympics in LA. LA roads and infrastructure are a mess already. Some kind of parallel with Hitler’s 1932 Olympics is moving about - like a kite in the incoming wind from ocean startibg to go up. World Cup and Olys: should be interesting, to say the least.
It is all twisted around money and power!