President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, a startling proposition that pushes the pair’s much-discussed alliance from the soccer pitch into the halls of global diplomacy. The idea, reported this week, surfaced just days after the two men stood together at the 2026 World Cup Final and jointly handed the trophy to champions Spain.
The suggestion caps a relationship that has grown steadily as Trump and Infantino worked to organize this year’s tournament, which the United States helped host. Infantino, the Swiss-born head of world soccer’s governing body, even rented office space inside Trump Tower in New York City for FIFA operations. In December 2025, he presented the president with the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize.
A Bromance Moves Beyond the Pitch
Trump reportedly believes Infantino commands universal respect and possesses a rare talent for uniting people. According to the account, the president thinks the FIFA chief “has a special ability to bring people together.” That praise, sources said, is the reason Trump wants Infantino to replace António Guterres, the current secretary-general, who is from Portugal and plans to retire at the end of the year.
Trump’s diplomat for international cooperation, Paolo Zampolli, drew a direct parallel between the two sprawling institutions. He noted that the world body must manage 193 member states while FIFA oversees more than 200 members, arguing that Infantino’s track record proves “he knows how to manage.”
Whether Infantino wants the job, or has even discussed it with Trump, remains unclear. He has announced he will run again for the FIFA presidency next year, a role he would presumably have to abandon to pursue the UN post.
Trump’s Long Feud With the UN
The endorsement is striking given Trump’s combative posture toward the organization since he retook office in January 2025. The president has repeatedly criticized the body for issuing statements rather than resolving conflicts, a frustration that helped drive him to create the Board of Peace, a group central to the peace plan for the Gaza Strip.
Trump has also pulled the United States out of more than 30 UN organizations, such as WHO, UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council, over what he described as ineffectiveness and waste of taxpayer money. That he would now champion a candidate to lead the same institution he has spent months criticizing adds another layer to the unusual proposal.
The selection process itself is far from straightforward. To become secretary-general, Infantino would need approval from at least nine of the UN Security Council’s 15 members, and no veto from China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom or the United States—the council’s five permanent powers. He would then require confirmation by a majority of the 193-member General Assembly.
Controversy Trails Infantino
Any bid would arrive against the backdrop of a controversy that has dogged Infantino in recent weeks. USMNT striker Folarin Balogun was shown a red card and suspended during the United States’ victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. Trump contacted Infantino ahead of the Round of 16 match with Belgium, and shortly afterward Balogun’s suspension was overturned.
The reversal raised pointed concerns over whether FIFA’s disciplinary system could remain impartial and whether Infantino was too open to outside influence, and it angered several European countries. The uproar ultimately proved moot on the field, as Belgium defeated the United States even with Balogun in the lineup. Still, some observers have argued Infantino should be removed as FIFA president over the episode.
The two men shared the spotlight again at the World Cup Final on July 19, 2026, in New Jersey, where they presented the trophy to Spain. That image of the president and the soccer administrator side by side has become a defining symbol of their partnership, and now the foundation for Trump’s latest ambition on Infantino’s behalf.
There has been speculation about other potential candidates for the secretary-general role, many of them drawn from Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that last held the position in 1991 under Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru. Names floated in that conversation include Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s former socialist president, and Rafael Grossi of Argentina, who leads the International Atomic Energy Agency. For now, though, it is Trump’s improbable soccer-to-diplomacy pitch that has captured attention, transforming a World Cup friendship into one of the year’s most surprising political storylines.
Sources:
https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-15995199/donald-trump-gianni-infantino-secretary-general.html
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-903331
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trump-wants-fifa-president-gianni-infantino-become-next-un-secretary-general-report
