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President Wants To Rename Football And Fans Aren’t Having It

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Donald Trump
Photo Credit: Flickr, by Gage Skidmore

President Donald Trump caused a stir Friday by advocating that the United States should refer to the global sport known as soccer as football.

Speaking at the World Cup 2026 drawing held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Trump shared his perspective during an on-stage Q&A where he was also recognized as the inaugural recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize.

“When you look at what has happened to football in the United States, [or] ‘soccer’ in the United States, we seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called ‘football’,” Trump stated, highlighting how American football has shaped local terminology.

“But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called, I mean, this is football, there’s no question about that. We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff. It really doesn’t make sense, when you think about it, it isn’t really football.”

Trump’s comments were met with applause by the soccer loving crowd, amplified by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a longtime ally of the president.

Across the world, the sport is universally called football, while in the United States, the term soccer remains common. The distinction has historically fueled discussion over cultural and linguistic preferences.

The draw ceremony featured performances by The Village People, Andrea Bocelli and Lauryn Hill, preceding the team group announcements.

American fans were not thrilled about the prospect, but reactions on social media were mixed.

“He’s not wrong,” someone replied. “What’s next?! Adopt the metric system used in nearly every country and universally in science,” another sniped.

“Only Trump could walk into a World Cup draw and reopen a 100-year American sports debate, and instantly make it entertaining,” someone else commented.

One fierce football fan replied, “The second thing I’ve ever disagreed on with Trump. IT’S CALLED SOCCER SIR!”

“The US football (ours is real) versus European football is one of the greatest grudges we have. Please don’t take this from me,” someone else pleaded.

“The NFL better come up with a peace award quickly,” a top commenter noted.

Trump also received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize from Infantino and called the honor “one of the great honors of my life,” using the moment to highlight his efforts in international diplomacy.

“Thank you very much. This is truly one of the great honors of my life. And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this, we saved millions and millions of lives,” Trump said.

“The Congo is an example. India, Pakistan, so many different wars we are able to end, in some cases, a little bit before they started.”

Trump also praised Infantino directly, saying, “It’s such an honor to be with Gianni. I have known Gianni for so long; he has done such an incredible job. He has set a new record on ticket sales. It’s an awfully nice tribute to you and the game of football, or as we call it soccer. The numbers are beyond what even Gianni thought was possible.”

Turning to domestic accomplishments, Trump added, “I want to thank everybody. The world is a safer place now. The United States a year ago was not doing well, but now we are the hottest country in the world, and we are going to keep it that way.”

Infantino noted that FIFA selected Trump for the Peace Prize due to what the organization described as “exceptional” contributions to promoting global unity, presenting him with a gold trophy, certificate and medal, which Trump wore immediately.

The award was created in November to honor individuals seen as providing “hope for future generations.”

The United States was placed in Group D for next summer’s World Cup, alongside Australia, Paraguay and one of Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.

The opening match for the American team will be against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, followed by a contest in Seattle a week later and a final group-stage match back at SoFi on June 25.

FIFA ranks the U.S. 14th globally, ahead of Australia at 26 and Paraguay at 39, while Turkey leads playoff contenders for Group D at 25.

As co-hosts with Mexico and Canada, all three nations were placed in Pot 1, ensuring they would avoid top-ranked opponents such as Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in the opening round. The expanded 48-team tournament features 12 groups of four.

The draw was hosted by Kevin Hart, Heidi Klum and Danny Ramirez, with appearances from sports figures including Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, Shaquille O’Neal and Eli Manning.

The tournament will feature 104 matches overall, with 78 in the United States, 13 in Canada and 13 in Mexico.

Matches will be played across 16 host cities, including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey.

The opening match is set for June 11 in Mexico City, with the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Trump has repeatedly suggested he might relocate matches from Democratic-led cities if he considers safety risks too high.

At the event, he remarked, “I don’t want to do that, but if they have a problem by the time we get there we’ll take care of it. I’ve proven that in DC.”

Questions also arose over whether ICE could target spectators at matches involving South and Central American national teams.

Infantino’s attempt to energize the crowd by asking, “Are there Americans here tonight? Let’s hear you! Are there any Canadians? Any Mexicans in the room? Make some noise!” drew mixed reactions online.

Some social media users expressed concern that the remarks might be interpreted as signaling ICE involvement, while others saw the comments as an effort to celebrate the three host nations.

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