By Francis Onyach - Reporter
USA, August 11, 2026 - United States President Donald Trump has publicly thrown his support behind FIFA president Gianni Infantino, warning that world football's governing body would be making a “terrible mistake” if it replaced the Swiss-Italian administrator.
Trump intervened on Truth Social as Infantino faces his most serious political challenge since becoming FIFA president. Several of the game's most powerful continental confederations have accused him of breaking trust over a controversial proposal to privatise FIFA's World Cup business and are calling for significant changes to the organisation's leadership.
Trump, however, has taken the opposite position, praising Infantino's leadership and crediting him with overseeing what he described as the most successful World Cup ever.
In his Truth Social post, Trump strongly rejected the idea of removing Infantino.
The US president said FIFA would be making a “terrible mistake” if it even considered replacing the FIFA president, describing Infantino as a “fantastic” leader.
Trump also pointed to the recently completed 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, as evidence of Infantino's effectiveness.
According to Trump, Infantino had presided over the most successful World Cup “by four times” ever presented and warned that FIFA would not be as successful or profitable without him.
The comments represent a significant public intervention in a football governance dispute that has rapidly escalated since the World Cup ended.
Infantino Faces Growing Pressure#
Infantino's position has come under increasing pressure following the collapse of FIFA's controversial Football Forward Enterprise proposal.
The plan involved creating a new commercial entity that would manage parts of FIFA's event business and potentially sell around a 20 percent stake to private investors.
The proposal was reported to have targeted approximately $4.2 billion in investment and valued the new entity at about $20 billion. FIFA ultimately abandoned the plan after significant opposition from football organisations and member associations.
The collapse of the proposal did not end the controversy.
Instead, it triggered an open confrontation between Infantino and some of the most influential figures in international football.
UEFA, AFC and Concacaf Attack FIFA Leadership#
On August 10, UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf issued a joint open letter sharply criticising FIFA's handling of the proposed investment structure.
The three confederations accused FIFA leadership of a “fundamental breach of trust” and criticised what they regarded as a lack of consultation and transparency.
They also argued that the proposal demonstrated serious failures in judgement and decision-making.
The letter called for an independent review of the process and warned that the dispute could have wider consequences for international football if concerns over FIFA governance were not addressed.
The extraordinary nature of the dispute was highlighted by reports that the confederations were discussing possible alternatives if the situation deteriorated further, including the possibility of boycotting certain FIFA competitions.
That does not mean a breakaway competition has been formally established, but it demonstrates the seriousness of the disagreement.
The World Cup Success Is at the Centre of the Argument#
Trump's defence of Infantino is heavily based on the commercial and sporting success of the 2026 World Cup.
The tournament was the first World Cup to feature 48 teams and 104 matches. It was staged across three countries, with the United States providing the majority of venues.
FIFA and Infantino repeatedly described the tournament as unprecedented.
At a FIFA reception in New York on July 17, Infantino himself said the 2026 World Cup had exceeded expectations and called it the “greatest FIFA World Cup of all time.”
The financial numbers have also been remarkable.
FIFA was expected to report approximately $15 billion in revenue from the 2026 World Cup, a figure substantially above previous tournament expectations.
The tournament's financial performance therefore gives Trump a concrete basis for arguing that Infantino's leadership has delivered commercially.
However, it is important to distinguish between the success of the tournament and the broader dispute over FIFA governance.
A financially successful World Cup does not, by itself, resolve questions about transparency, decision-making or the proposed private-investment structure.
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Infantino's supporters can point to a substantial increase in FIFA's financial capacity during his presidency.
FIFA has said that the organisation invested $5.1 billion into football development through the FIFA Forward programme during Infantino's tenure.
The organisation has also projected $2.7 billion in FIFA Forward investment for the 2027-2030 cycle, representing an eightfold increase compared with the period before the programme was launched.
FIFA has additionally announced a record financial distribution of almost $900 million to the 48 national associations participating in the 2026 World Cup.
Those figures help explain why Infantino continues to have substantial support within parts of global football despite the current controversy.
The current crisis is particularly significant because Infantino is already preparing for another FIFA presidential election.
FIFA has confirmed that Infantino intends to stand for re-election in 2027.
He was first elected FIFA president in 2016 and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and again in 2023. His current term runs through 2027.
His fourth-term ambitions now face a more complicated political environment.
UEFA, AFC and Concacaf's criticism represents a major challenge because these confederations collectively represent a large and influential portion of FIFA's membership and commercial ecosystem.
However, opposition is not universal.
Infantino retains significant support in other parts of the football world, meaning his removal is far from an established outcome.
Trump's Relationship With Infantino#
Trump's latest comments are also the newest chapter in a close relationship between the US president and FIFA's leader.
The two men were highly visible together throughout the 2026 World Cup.
Infantino repeatedly praised Trump's role in helping facilitate the tournament in the United States, while Trump frequently spoke positively about FIFA and its president.
At a FIFA event in New York before the tournament's conclusion, Infantino described the 2026 World Cup as the greatest human, social and cultural event ever witnessed and praised the United States for its role in hosting it.
Trump also attended the World Cup final alongside Infantino.
The close relationship has attracted criticism from some observers, particularly because FIFA is supposed to operate as an international sporting governing body rather than as an extension of any national government's political agenda.
FIFA has rejected suggestions that Infantino sought Trump's intervention to protect his position following the collapse of the private-investment proposal.
Trump's support is not entirely new.
In July, shortly after the World Cup, reports emerged that Trump was considering Infantino for a possible future role as United Nations secretary-general.
Trump has also publicly praised Infantino's leadership, and the relationship between the two men became particularly prominent during the 2026 tournament.
The latest Truth Social statement therefore fits into a broader pattern of public support rather than representing a sudden change in Trump's position.
Why the Dispute Matters#
The conflict is bigger than Infantino's personal future.
At its heart is a disagreement about how FIFA should be governed and how the organisation should commercialise its most valuable property: the World Cup.
Infantino has overseen an enormous expansion in FIFA's commercial revenues and competition portfolio.
Critics, however, argue that the proposed Football Forward Enterprise structure demonstrated an unacceptable willingness to make major commercial decisions without sufficient consultation with FIFA's constituent football organisations.
UEFA, AFC and Concacaf have therefore framed the controversy as an issue of institutional trust rather than simply a disagreement over one failed business proposal.