United States President Donald Trump backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday, August 10, 2026, warning that ousting him would be a terrible mistake. The endorsement comes amid controversy over a failed private investment scheme and calls for leadership changes from several international football organizations ahead of next March’s election.
Donald Trump Backs Gianni Infantino Following Failed Private Investment Proposal
United States President Donald Trump voiced strong support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Monday, August 10, 2026, as the governing body faces international scrutiny. Mr. Infantino has faced mounting criticism and calls for his resignation following a failed plan to sell a minority stake in the organization to private investors, alongside allegations of a workplace affair as reported by jamaicaobserver.com.
Writing on Truth Social, Mr. Trump dismissed the idea of removing the current FIFA leader.
Donald Trump, United States President, stated via Truth Social and Agence France-Presse that FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino.
Mr. Trump called the Italian-Swiss lawyer fantastic
and credited him with overseeing a record-breaking tournament, noting that he presided over four times the success of any World Cup ever presented before, according to RTÉ. The United States co-hosted the tournament this summer alongside Mexico and Canada, staging 104 matches across 16 cities with a 48-team field that broke attendance and viewership records as noted by USA Today.
Divided Global Response and Scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise Plans
The public backing from Washington highlights a sharp division among international soccer bodies. While Concacaf and UEFA threatened boycotts over the proposed commercial deal—known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE)—and continue to express distrust despite the plan being shelved, other confederations have rallied around the incumbent.
According to RTÉ, the Confederation of African Football and South American governing body CONMEBOL share Mr. Trump’s position in supporting the FIFA president. National federations including Mexico and Argentina have also backed usatoday.com, who faces re-election next March.
Conversely, domestic and regional resistance remains strong. U.S. Soccer issued a statement critiquing Mr. Infantino alongside Canada Soccer and football organizations in Central America and the Caribbean, as detailed by RTÉ. World leaders have also weighed in; Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney and United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham both stated they lost trust in the FIFA leader, with Mr. Carney telling USA Today that he lacked confidence in Mr. Infantino following recent events.
FIFA Defense and the Road to the March Election
FIFA has defended its leadership against the backlash, characterizing the criticism as a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine the organization, according to RTÉ. Mr. Infantino has denied all allegations of wrongdoing as he prepares for the upcoming electoral contest.
The relationship between the U.S. administration and FIFA’s leadership has deepened through multiple high-profile interactions. Earlier, in December, Mr. Infantino presented the first FIFA Peace Prize to Mr. Trump. During the World Cup final match in East Rutherford, New Jersey, both leaders attended together, and Mr. Trump handed the trophy to tournament champions Spain.
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