{"id":2309,"date":"2026-06-10T07:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T07:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2309"},"modified":"2026-06-10T07:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T07:05:12","slug":"trump-wanted-to-star-at-the-world-cup-but-politics-may-spoil-the-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2309","title":{"rendered":"Trump wanted to star at the World Cup, but politics may spoil the party"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div> <div>\n<button>\n<strong>\n<span><svg>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>Summary<\/span>\n<\/strong>\n<span><svg><\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span><svg><\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<\/button>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Donald Trump expected to miss the 2026 World Cup, but his political comeback secured him a role.<\/li>\n<li>His immigration policies and global tensions have created controversy ahead of the tournament&#8217;s opening.<\/li>\n<li>FIFA President Gianni Infantino&#8217;s close relationship with Trump raises questions about the organization&#8217;s political neutrality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<span>AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Donald Trump thought he\u2019d miss out on the chance to stride the globe\u2019s biggest sporting stage, lamenting in 2018, when the US won the right to co-host this year\u2019s World Cup finals, that \u201cI won\u2019t be here\u201d owing to presidential term limits.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2299\">Trump indicates to Speaker Johnson he won\u2019t back down on Pulte despite fight over key surveillance authority<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            But the historic political comeback that made him only the second president to win two nonconsecutive terms bought him political extra time and a role in the massive soccer extravaganza.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Trump has always had a flair for inserting himself into the global zeitgeist. So he seized his chance.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            He proudly displayed a gleaming replica World Cup that complemented the golden decor of his Oval Office; he welcomed soccer supremo Gianni Infantino into his global MAGA orbit; and after presenting Chelsea with the trophy in a FIFA club tournament in the US last year, he celebrated with the team like he\u2019d scored the winning goal.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            But the 2026 World Cup finals that open on Thursday may serve to highlight the discord of his politics more than his enthusiasm for the beautiful game. While Trump may be looking for a new chance to promote his global ubiquity, many overseas critics are likely to be alienated by contributions that epitomize the turbulence and discord of his second term.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The finals come at a moment when Trump\u2019s political star is waning due to growing unpopularity at home and reverses overseas.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Infantino\u2019s award of an inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to Trump \u2014 after his friend was passed over for the Nobel version \u2014 now looks awkward after the president launched military strikes against another World Cup qualifying nation, Iran.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"President Donald Trump sits next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House on November 17, 2025.\" class=\"wp-image-2305\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d8514c34fba4b52adcbbae295079ad53.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d8514c34fba4b52adcbbae295079ad53.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d8514c34fba4b52adcbbae295079ad53-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>President Donald Trump sits next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House on November 17, 2025.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Evelyn Hockstein\/Reuters<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Trump\u2019s hardline immigration policies, which left some foreign fans feeling unwelcome in the United States, are overshadowing the countdown to opening games. A respected Somali referee was refused entry at a time when the administration is accusing Somalis in Minnesota of fraud. (The community denies the claims.) The Senegalese team reportedly endured harsh security checks when arriving for their pre-World Cup camp, though the federation said it anticipated the security procedure and deemed it normal. And Iran said Tuesday that its ticket allocation for its three group games in the US had been canceled.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            This follows concerns that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers could conduct sweeps for undocumented migrants at games involving South American teams with large followings in the United States, though the administration has tried to tamp down those fears.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\nSoaring ticket prices, meanwhile, have priced many fans out of games, leading to accusations that FIFA sees the World Cup finals more as a money grab than a celebration of football\u2019s traditionally working-class fans. Out-of-reach ticket prices are a metaphor for affordability crises stalking western societies and economic inequalities faced by Global South countries. Even Trump balked at tickets costing $1,000 for the first Team USA game. \u201cI would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn\u2019t pay it either, to be honest with you,\u201d he told the New York Post.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            More broadly, Trump\u2019s searing second term, which has seen him slap tariffs on competing economies and lambaste the societies of close allies, has created an atmosphere of global tension that sits uneasily with FIFA\u2019s claims to promote unity and joy. For a fleeting moment, there was talk of a European boycott after Trump demanded Denmark hand over Greenland.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            This is far from the first global sporting event to be hit by a political storm. The US led a boycott of the Moscow Olympics because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The last World Cup in Qatar was clouded by accusations of human rights abuses, including the deaths of migrant workers in building stadiums.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Before the competition begins, almost every huge sporting event is beset by bad headlines about politics, commercialization and access. But the hyper-politicization of the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted with Canada and Mexico at a time of Western Hemisphere antagonism, has an added ingredient almost guaranteed to cause polarization: Trump.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n<strong>Infantino\u2019s flattery of the president may backfire<\/strong>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            The US president\u2019s tendency to create extreme positive and negative reactions has focused attention on Infantino\u2019s decision to align himself so closely with the US leader.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The FIFA president has been ubiquitous in Washington and Mar-a-Lago. He even showed up at Trump\u2019s Gaza peace summit in Egypt last year. After the US president\u2019s second-term inaugural rally, he declared on Instagram, \u201cTogether, we will make not only America great again, but also the entire world.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            This apparent endorsement seemed to conflict with FIFA\u2019s , which stress it remains \u201cneutral in matters of politics.\u201d Infantino, however, defended his friendship with Trump at a meeting in Northern Ireland last year. \u201cI think it is absolutely crucial for the success of a World Cup to have a close relationship with the president,\u201d Infantino was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2293\">Former Taliban commander sentenced to 42 years in prison for killings of US soldiers and journalists\u2019 kidnappings<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"President Donald Trump speaks next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the newly established FIFA Peace Prize was given to him during the 2026 World Cup official draw in Washington on December 5, 2025.\" class=\"wp-image-2306\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4d29a54556e0240682600c4cbcb5e06a.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4d29a54556e0240682600c4cbcb5e06a.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4d29a54556e0240682600c4cbcb5e06a-300x220.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>President Donald Trump speaks next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the newly established FIFA Peace Prize was given to him during the 2026 World Cup official draw in Washington on December 5, 2025.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Kyodo News\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Still, eve-of-tournament controversies raise the question of just how much leverage FIFA has won with Trump.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cInfantino might say, \u2018(This is) what do I have to do as president of this organization, to secure political support, so that everything goes smoothly,\u2019\u201d said Alexander Cooley, a senior nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. But FIFA may have walked into a political trap. \u201cI think what you\u2019re seeing is that the Trump administration really doesn\u2019t care about global public opinion.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Infantino would not be the first global figure to find that buttering up a US president who demands shows of respect has little payoff. Many European leaders flattered the president during his first year back in office but couldn\u2019t slake his fury, which drove transatlantic relations to their lowest point in decades.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Cooley, also a professor of political science at Barnard College, argued that Trump\u2019s team may be making a classic immigration play to his base with treatment of World Cup fans, delegations and referees. \u201cIf the world is up in arms or disappointed in that, who cares?\u201d Cooley said, paraphrasing a possible administration sentiment.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n<strong>Football, not politics, is usually the winner<\/strong>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            The World Cup finals are widely regarded as the world\u2019s largest sporting event. According to FIFA, 1.5 billion viewers watched the final in Qatar in 2022. Trump often marvels at the scale of the event, saying last year in the Oval Office, \u201c(It\u2019s) like three Super Bowls every day for a month.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The president, a sports fan of some authority, loves huge audiences and the white heat of publicity. It\u2019s hardly surprising that he\u2019s drawn to such a gargantuan spectacle.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Trump can be expected to weigh in throughout the tournament on social media or any on- or off-field controversies, in keeping with his habit of using sports to drive social, cultural and political messages. During his first term, for example, he often slammed former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other players who took a knee to protest police brutality.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            But mixing sports and politics can backfire. He was brutally booed after showing up at an NBA Finals Game in New York on Monday night. And his craving to co-opt others\u2019 success can overshadow the moment. The US hockey triumph over Canada in the final of the Winter Olympics this year turned a moment of national unity into one of political division after Trump and his FBI Director Kash Patel inserted themselves into the team\u2019s victory celebrations.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"President Donald Trump listens to the national anthem before the start of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026, in New York City.\" class=\"wp-image-2307\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/305b963c3521dc6883aef09605bf172c.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/305b963c3521dc6883aef09605bf172c.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/305b963c3521dc6883aef09605bf172c-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>President Donald Trump listens to the national anthem before the start of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026, in New York City.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Samuel Corum\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            World leaders often try to exploit World Cups. Some \u2014 like British Prime Minister Harold Wilson after England\u2019s 1966 World Cup triumph \u2014 wrapped themselves in the flag. Argentina\u2019s junta used the country\u2019s win as hosts in 1978 as propaganda. Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s hosting of the 2018 World Cup sought to restore international prestige after he was ostracized for annexing Crimea. Critics have dismissed Qatar\u2019s World Cup and the forthcoming 2034 tournament in Saudi Arabia as reputational \u201csports washing\u201d by anti-democratic regimes.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            This had led critics to argue that Infantino sees himself as a geopolitical figure as much as a footballing one. His closeness to leaders like Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reflects an era when multibillionaire owners and Middle Eastern wealth funds own many top clubs as strongmen and oligarchs dominate political and corporate life.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Still, great sporting events usually defy attempts by politicians keen to hijack them. World Cups are defined by moments of footballing panache, like the bamboozling turn by Dutch legend Johan Cruyff at the 1974 finals or Paolo Rossi\u2019s goal-scoring rout that led Italy to the title in 1982.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Controversies that are remembered are usually on the pitch \u2014 like Argentine Diego Maradona\u2019s infamous \u201chand of God\u201d handball goal in the 1986 quarter-final against England, or Zinedine Zidane\u2019s stunning head butt that helped consign France to defeat to Italy in the 2006 final.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Argentina's Diego Maradona scores first goal with his Hand of God, past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, during the World Cup Mexico Quarter Final on June 22, 1986.\" class=\"wp-image-2308\" height=\"505\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e09cfc8088b23d1cc8de39ae8a0232b2.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e09cfc8088b23d1cc8de39ae8a0232b2.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e09cfc8088b23d1cc8de39ae8a0232b2-300x197.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Argentina&#8217;s Diego Maradona scores first goal with his Hand of God, past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, during the World Cup Mexico Quarter Final on June 22, 1986.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Bob Thomas\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Some time over the next month, a second of brilliance or a rush of blood will underscore why World Cups, even in their corporatized and politicized modern renderings, make the world stand still.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The quintessentially political Infantino understands this better than anyone. At the World Economic Forum in Davos this year, he noted that in Qatar, the political furor faded once the football kicked off.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cWhen the ball started rolling, and the magic started, we had virtually no incidents,\u201d he said.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2291\">Trump argues lawsuit seeking to halt White House UFC fight was brought too \u2018late\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump thought he\u2019d miss out on the chance to stride the globe\u2019s biggest sporting stage, lamenting in 2018, when the US won the right to co-host this year\u2019s World Cup finals, that \u201cI won\u2019t be here\u201d owing to presidential term limits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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