Shortly after the results of the US presidential election became evident, Fifa's president shared an old photo of himself shaking hands with a beaming, football-clasping Donald Trump. 'Congratulations Mr President! We will have a great Fifa World Cup and a great Fifa Club World Cup in the United States of America!' Gianni Infantino posted on social media. This was another instance of Infantino's ingratiating flattery towards Trump, whom he had previously dubbed 'part of the Fifa team' in 2018. It appears the feeling was mutual. In January 2020, during Trump's first impeachment trial, Infantino introduced him at a CEO dinner in Davos, praising Trump's 'fibre' akin to world-class footballers. 'He is a competitor,' Infantino remarked. 'He says what many think, but more importantly, he does what he says.' Trump reciprocated by calling Infantino 'my great friend.'
The US is set to be the epicenter of the sporting world during Trump's second term, hosting the 2025 Club World Cup, the 2026 men's World Cup, and the 2028 Olympic Games. The 2026 World Cup, an expanded 48-team tournament, is a collaborative effort with Mexico and Canada, though most matches will be held in the US. 'Football Unites The World!' Infantino added in his congratulatory message to Trump.
However, the next American president's ability to set the tone and policy may be contentious, given his confrontational stance and use of sports to sow division. His nativist conservative beliefs contrast sharply with the progressive internationalist values upheld by many leagues and governing bodies. These competitions are lucrative ventures for Fifa and the International Olympic Committee, and PR opportunities for the hosts. 'Every time countries host the Olympics and the World Cup, they're trying to get their message out to the world, trying to use it as an opportunity to show off,' explains Adrien Bouchet, director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. 'His vision of what the United States is these days – it'll be interesting to see what it entails.'
Trump's authoritarian tendencies and divisive rhetoric could lead to tensions between the culturally diverse cities hosting events and a national government promoting insularity and intolerance. If his anti-democracy aspirations materialize, the American showpieces risk becoming the latest in a series of mega-events hosted by illiberal countries. Since 2008, the Olympics have been held in Russia and twice in China; World Cups have been hosted in Russia and Qatar, with future tournaments planned for Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
The 2026 World Cup is the first to incorporate human rights into its bidding process, requiring the US government to adhere to the highest human rights standards. Andrea Florence, director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, warns that Trump's previous disregard for international human rights obligations could have far-reaching consequences, jeopardizing protections in the US and setting a troubling precedent for future global sporting events. Trump's history of exploiting workers, weaponizing trans women and girls in sport, potential plans for mass deportation, and racist, misogynistic, and transphobic rhetoric are areas of particular concern, all of which can exacerbate human rights violations at mega sporting events.
Like Trump, Infantino spends much of his time in Florida, where Fifa's legal and ethics divisions are now based in Miami. Fifa claims to be 'committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.' However, rights groups have already raised concerns over Fifa's handling of Saudi Arabia's uncontested bid. 'Fifa's failure to implement its own human rights policies in relation to Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup make it all the more important that national, state and local officials in the US, Canada and Mexico move forward to implement the 2026 human rights framework,' said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.
With stadiums already built, the 2026 World Cup presents less risk to construction workers compared to Qatar 2022, Saudi Arabia, or the 2030 edition largely held in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. However, Trump's agenda contradicts some of the pledges outlined in Fifa's 2026 Human Rights Framework, which aims to make the World Cup 'one of the most diverse and inclusive celebrations of all time.' The framework commits to supporting at-risk groups, including women, ethnic minorities, disabled people, immigrants, refugees, migrant workers, LGBTQ+ people, and journalists, all of whom Trump has targeted through rhetoric or policy.
Many American sports bodies have incorporated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives into their corporate cultures and hiring practices to boost support and representation of minority groups. These initiatives are likely targets for the Trump administration and the conservative-dominated US Supreme Court. This year, a right-wing legal group founded by Stephen Miller, an architect of Trump's anti-immigration policies, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the NFL, arguing that its Rooney Rule, which obliges teams to interview minority candidates for senior posts, is illegal.
The Olympics and World Cup were awarded to the US during Trump's first term, and he clearly feels a sense of ownership. As the Paris Games closed, Trump credited himself with securing the Olympics. Although Trump is friendly with Fifa, relations with the IOC are cooler, with no comment from the IOC on his victory. After some Christians criticized segments of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony as blasphemous, Trump labeled the show 'a disgrace' and promised to prevent any sacrilegious content in 2028.
Friction between Democrat-run cities and Republican state and national leaders is a feature of American politics. It's not hard to imagine a war of words breaking out between LA 2028 organizers and the White House, given the $900m in federal infrastructure funds committed ahead of the Games and California's liberal stance, which Trump has routinely criticized. Environmental goals are now routine for sporting events, but it's hard to imagine a Republican administration pushing organizers to keep their promises, given Trump's stance on climate change and plans to scupper clean energy projects.
Trump is also expected to roll back federal protections for gay and transgender people. He targeted two female boxing Olympic gold medallists in his election campaign, claiming they are men as a justification for revoking anti-discrimination measures issued by the Biden administration. 'We will of course keep men out of women's sports,' he said, a stance likely to clash with the IOC and other governing bodies setting gender eligibility criteria. Hurling sports deeper into the culture wars also brings risks for sponsors. In September, the IOC lost one of its key supporters, Toyota, with the automaker's chairman complaining that the Games are 'increasingly political.'
Trump has sought to blur the lines between sport and politics, looking for confrontations with the NFL, NBA, and the US women's soccer team over national anthem protests against civil rights abuses. Using sports as a patriotic purity test, he has termed players with opposing political stances as un-American and said the US team was eliminated from the 2023 Women's World Cup because players were too woke and 'openly hostile to America.' He can be expected to strain the structural tensions in American professional leagues, exploiting and widening schisms between owners, players, and fans. A Guardian analysis found that nearly 95% of total political contributions to federal elections since 2020 from owners of major-league North American sports teams went to Republican causes. But many players are Democrats. Basketball's biggest star, LeBron James, endorsed Kamala Harris, while the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, donated to the Harris campaign.
'He uses sports to divide people because so many people pay attention to sports,' Bouchet says. 'There's always going to be social tensions as it relates to politics. Unfortunately, I think the next four years are probably going to be a rocky road.' Trump has cultivated friendships with sports personalities and spent election night in the company of the NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and the 2024 US Open golf champion Bryson DeChambeau. As well as using sports to burnish his celebrity status and seek political advantage, the president-elect has a direct financial stake through his golf courses, three of which hosted tournaments last year on the Saudi-financed LIV Golf tour, with another stop in 2024.
Rory McIlroy expressed optimism this month that Trump can act as a peace broker between LIV and the PGA Tour. 'Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He's got a great relationship with golf. He's a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?' McIlroy said. If Trump were to pressure Ukraine into a ceasefire in the war with Russia, Vladimir Putin may see an opening, perhaps with Trump's help, to push for Russia's reintegration into Fifa, Uefa, and Olympic competitions. He may be less conciliatory towards Iran, who are likely to qualify for 2026: the country was allegedly behind a plot to kill him. Stadiums should be packed in a diverse nation of more than 335 million people. But Trump has vowed to reinstate and expand his first-term 'Muslim travel ban,' which affected countries including Iran and Nigeria.
Citizens of only 42 countries are allowed visa-free entry to the US, and in some places, it may already be too late for foreign fans to apply for a tourist visa to attend the finals. Last week, the wait for an appointment in Bogota was 710 days; in Istanbul, it was 692 days. Given Trump's intention to devote resources to mass deportations and curtailing legal immigration, reducing Biden-era backlogs for visitors is unlikely to be a priority. Even if restrictions are temporarily eased for the tournaments, upheaval at the border, combined with an abrasive and isolationist foreign policy and economic stresses from Trump's proposed trade tariffs, may strain relations with allies, dissuade visitors, and tarnish the US's image abroad; hardly conducive to a festive atmosphere for international sports' biggest parties.
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