Tag: Donald Trump

Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates were feted by US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday in honour of their 2025 MLS Cup championship.

Messi was at the forefront as Miami players, coach Javier Mascherano, and team co-owner Jorge Mas flanked Trump, who opened proceedings with comments on military action in the Middle East.

But he soon got down to the team’s 2025 exploits and rememiniscences of Brazilian icon Pele’s 1970s stint with the New York Cosmos and its electrifying effect on soccer in the United States.

“I shouldn’t say this because I’m old, but I watched Pele play,” Trump said. “I don’t know, you (Messi) may be better than Pele. Pele was pretty good.”

The players came bearing gifts for Trump, including a No. 47 jersey from the team’s signature pink kit, reflecting his status as the nation’s 47th president.

From Trump, there were shout-outs to Miami’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, rising star Tadeo Allende, and Rodrigo De Paul, and a subtle dig at former president Joe Biden.

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“It’s my distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the chance to say before: Welcome to the White House, Lionel,” Trump said, an oblique reference to the fact Messi did not attend the ceremony when Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025.

“I’ve seen a lot of great players come into the world of sports,” Trump said. “They come to the Yankees, or they come to the Dodgers… and there’s such a clamour.

“Everything’s great, but they don’t win. This guy won,” he said with a gesture toward Messi.

“Leo, you came in, and you won. There’s a lot more pressure put on you than anyone would know because you’re sort of expected to win,” Trump added.

Trump’s rundown of Miami’s 2025 achievements included not only their 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup final but also their 2-1 victory over Portuguese side Porto in the Club World Cup, which marked the first time a North American team had beaten a European one in an official competition.

In accepting Trump’s congratulations, Mas, the son of Cuban immigrants, said Miami’s rise since its 2020 inaugural season was based on the philosophy that “if you work hard and you sacrifice and you dream, it can be possible.”

Inter Miami’s global success is “not only because of Lionel Messi, but these men standing behind you have changed the culture of football in the United States of America forever,” Mas said. “We can play with the big boys.”

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Spurred on by World Cup 2026 fever, US President Donald Trump said Friday that American football should be renamed as the game played with a round ball, soccer, was the one true football.

“We have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football, but when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called … football, there is no question,” Trump said at the World Cup draw.

“We have to come up with another name for the NFL (National Football League). It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”

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For Americans, the word “football” refers to American football, a sport primarily played with the hands, unlike what the rest of the world calls football.

Almost the entire country tunes in each year to the NFL championship final, the Super Bowl, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino made sure to emphasise on Friday to Americans that the World Cup 2026 would be the equivalent of 104 Super Bowls.

An all-round sports enthusiast, Trump has developed a particular affection for soccer that continues to grow as the World Cup 2026, which will take place next summer in the United States of America (USA), Mexico, and Canada, approaches.

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President of the United States of America (USA) Donald Trump on Monday unveiled special fast-track visas for people with tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The United States has promised a seamless experience for next year’s tournament despite concerns that Trump’s border crackdown could hurt fans.

“For those who intend to join us for the World Cup, I strongly encourage you to apply right away,” Trump said as he announced the scheme in the Oval Office with Gianni Infantino, the boss of global soccer body FIFA.

Infantino, who has repeatedly appeared at Trump’s side since the Republican’s return to the White House in January, said the so-called “FIFA Pass” was a “very important announcement.”

“If you have a ticket for the World Cup, you can have a prioritized appointment to get your visa,” Infantino said.

“We’ll have between five and 10 million people coming to America from all over the world to enjoy the World Cup, and with this FIFA pass, we can make sure that those who buy a ticket, who are legitimate football fans or soccer fans, can come and attend the World Cup in the best conditions.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, issued a warning to those hoping to come for the tournament.

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“Your ticket is not a visa,” Rubio said at the announcement. “It doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. It guarantees you an expedited appointment, but you’re still going to go through the same vetting.”

Rubio said ticket holders would get an interview within six to eight weeks under the plan, but urged people to act now.

“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump has raised the possibility of moving games from certain host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and migration in some Democratic-run cities.

The draw for the World Cup is due to take place in Washington on December 5.

FIFA will present a new peace prize on the same day, with widespread speculation that it could go to Trump.

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The draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 5, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday.

The 48-team marquee event will take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The potential venue for the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw is Las Vegas, a location where the US-hosted event concluded in 1994.

Meanwhile, this time the draw will be held at the Kennedy Center, a performing arts venue.

Following the announcement, Donald Trump lauded the football World Cup as the biggest event in sports.

“It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports,” Trump said.

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“It’s a tremendous honor to bring the global event and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes – the best athletes in the world – to the cultural center of our nation’s capital,” Trump said.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who brought with him the World Cup trophy, also took part in the draw announcement from the Oval Office at the White House.

“This is this will be absolutely fantastic, the biggest event ever. And everything will start here in Washington, DC, at the Kennedy Center – or the Trump Kennedy Center,” Infantino said in a light-hearted manner.

“The draw will be broadcast live all over the world and will be watched by one billion viewers,” Infantino said.

For the unversed, the FIFA 2027 World Cup has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.

The highly anticipated draw will organize the 48 teams into 12 groups of four.

The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-place teams, will advance to the knockout rounds.

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Donald Trump will on Sunday appear in the FIFA Club World Cup final, showcasing his unexpected attachment to a sport in which “America First” remains a dream, for now.

The US president is attending the final of the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup in his latest use of the beautiful game as a soft power political weapon.

His appearance at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, where Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea, is very much a trial run for the World Cup final, which will take place in the same stadium next year.

Trump has made it clear that he views both tournaments, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as showcases for what he calls the “Golden Age of America” during his second term.

The billionaire Republican’s close friendship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a frequent visitor to the White House, is also a factor in his appearance.

Trump has kept the Club World Cup trophy next to his desk in the Oval Office since Infantino dropped by in March.

But Trump’s embrace of football, or soccer as he would say, is also personal.

The president’s 19-year-old son, Barron, is a fan, as Infantino pointed out in a press conference at FIFA’s new office in Trump Tower in New York on Saturday.

Asked if Trump liked the game, Infantino replied: “Well, I think he does. In his first term as president of the United States, there was a soccer goal in the garden of the White House.

“He then explained to me that his son loved football and that he loved the game. And of course, when you are a parent, you love what your children love, so I think that he loves it.”

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As a student at the New York Military Academy, Trump himself also reportedly played the game for a season.

Trump’s apparent fondness for football may seem unusual for a country where, despite growing popularity, the sport still lags behind American football, basketball, and baseball.

The former reality TV star has, however, always had an eye for popularity, power, and influence. And football, in its own way, brings all three.

Trump pointed out when Infantino visited the White House in March that the United States won the right to host the 2026 World Cup in 2018, during his first term as president.

He said he was “so sad” because he assumed he would not be president when the tournament came around — but his 2020 election loss meant that he would after all.

The FIFA Club World Cup has meanwhile proved more successful than its critics predicted, with around 2.5 million people attending games across the country and some gripping games.

Infantino, who is no stranger to dealing with hard-nosed leaders around the world, thanked Trump for his support on Saturday.

He said Trump “embraced immediately the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup, and of course, the World Cup next year.”

Infantino also joked that Trump “certainly loves as well the trophy” — whose gold-plated curves match the gilded makeover that the president has given the Oval Office.

But in typical form, Trump has also mixed political controversy with his football fandom.

Hosting Italian side Juventus in the Oval Office in June, he delivered a diatribe on transgender people in sports before asking the players: “Could a woman make your team, fellas?”

Most of the players looked bemused before Juventus general manager Damien Comolli replied: “We have a very good women’s team.”

“He’s being very diplomatic,” said Trump.

Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown — part of his “America First” policy — has meanwhile sparked fears that football fans will be discouraged from coming to the United States.

In May, Vice President JD Vance said that 2026 World Cup fans were “welcome to come… but when the time is up, they will have to go home.”

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