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≡ INFANTINO TALKS AND TALKS ≡
“Well, I really don’t know if Americans realize what is going to happen. Mexicans, they get it probably a bit more because they know more about football. Canadians are even more north, so, but what will happen in this country is something incredible.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) rarely misses an opportunity to talk about football and he was center stage at last week’s American Business Forum in Miami, Florida, about FIFA, the 2026 FIFA World Cup and his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who spoke to the Forum a day earlier.
Infantino was the most energized when he spoke about the impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played in 11 U.S. cities, three in Mexico and two in Canada. Overheated? For sure, but always entertaining … and always looking for money:
“I mean, let me say one more thing first, because after you’re going to conclude, I guess, since we are in a business forum here. So there are business people here as well.
“I need to say one thing about business as well, otherwise they think I’m just, you know. kind of having fun as a president but … the business has to has to also work. So the football GDP, global football GDP is around 300 billion U.S. dollars a year. Out of this $300 billion, 70% is generated in Europe but mainly from outside of Europe. In the U.S. it’s around $10 billion. If the U.S. would be doing – and this is an advice to all business people in this room to invest in FIFA and in football – if the U.S. would be doing one-third of what European countries do, you would speak about $110 billion – instead of $10 – $110 billion GDP in the U.S.
“So this to say that there is such a big potential and I think that those Americans – why I say this – because I think that those Americans who didn’t or don’t realize what is happening next year they will realize it, because this country and Canada and Mexico will be you know, flipped upside down, back up, back down.
“You will have a horde of barbarians, but happy barbarians invading the country with the result that soccer or football will conquer America. This is a country that’s never been conquered for the first time. We will conquer America.
“This I announce it here officially.”
Infantino actually said this before, after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but maybe he forgot. He continued:
“Yes, it is an incredible economic impact of only the World Cup, [that] has an economic impact of around $40 billion, 200,000 jobs which will be created, five, six million people coming here to watch the games but also you know to enjoy their holidays in Miami Beach or anywhere else in beautiful Florida.
“So it moves so much and not just that because the entire world will be focused on North America and Canada, Mexico and the United States next year. I was mentioning the figure of six billion – six billion – people will be watching the World Cup. I mean the [NFL] Super Bowl is watched by 120 million people, 130 [million], we have six billion people watching the World Cup. This means that the eyes of the world will be focused on Miami and the rest of North America.”
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Earlier in the session, Infantino was asked by host Carlos Diaz-Rosillo, head of the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University, about his relationship with Trump:
“I have a great relationship. I’m really lucky. I have a great relationship with President Trump, who I consider really a close friend. But of course he’s been and is very, very helpful in everything we do for the World Cup. He was the president. He mentioned it today when the U.S., together with Canada and Mexico was awarded the World Cup.
“And he’s really engaged. He has such an incredible energy and this is something that I really admire. He does things. He does what he says. He says what he thinks. He says actually what many people think as well but maybe don’t dare to say and that’s why he’s so successful.
“And I have to say I am a bit surprised sometimes when I read some comments, some negative comments because as far as – I’m not American – but as far as I understand, President Trump was elected in the United States of America. Was quite clearly elected, and when you are in such a great democracy as the United States of America, you should first of all respect the results of the election.
“And then you know, again, he was elected based on a program based on what he said and he’s just implementing what he said he would do. So I think we should all support what he’s doing because I think he’s doing pretty good, and for FIFA even more.”
This did not sit well with some folks, who pointed to FIFA’s policy of political neutrality. Miguel Maduro (POR), the former head of the FIFA Governance Committee told The Athletic:
“While he can recognize the legitimacy of President Trump, he should also recognize that in a democracy, others can oppose his policies. To remain politically neutral requires not to take a position on that political debate, much less to argue that all should support President Trump’s policies. To do so appears a clear violation of the duty of political neutrality imposed on any FIFA official by Article 15 of its Code of Ethics.”
FIFA also announced a “FIFA Peace Prize” which will be awarded for the first time at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw on 5 December at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Trump is widely expected to be the first recipient.
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