The familiar sight of FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office has become increasingly concerning for football fans worldwide. On November 17, 2025, Infantino was photographed alongside former US President Donald Trump, discussing plans for the 2026 World Cup that could see matches arbitrarily moved from host cities for political reasons.
Political Interference in World Cup Planning
During their meeting, Trump declared that games could be relocated from host cities if he deemed there was "a problem" with security or if cities were "non-compliant" in other ways. In practice, this appears to mean cities governed by Democrats or those Trump considers "communist." The irony is stark: while FIFA has happily hosted tournaments in autocratic nations like Qatar and Russia, it now appears ready to potentially exclude American cities like Boston for political reasons.
This represents an unprecedented development in World Cup history. Never in the tournament's 95-year existence has a political leader threatened to remove games from host cities. The move raises serious questions about the stability of the 2026 tournament arrangements and suggests fans could face last-minute venue changes based purely on political whims.
Infantino's Troubling Transformation
Marina Hyde's analysis paints a disturbing picture of Infantino's evolution from what appeared to be a "competition winner" at Trump's inauguration to becoming what now resembles "a fully operational member of Trump's troupe of winged monkeys." The FIFA president has increasingly aligned himself with Trump's political agenda throughout 2025.
His attendance at Trump's Middle East peace summit in May caused such delays to FIFA's own congress that even UEFA accused him of prioritizing "private political interests" and staged a delegate walk-out. Last month, Infantino was back on the political trail at Trump's Gaza peace talks in Egypt, and earlier this month instituted a preposterous FIFA peace prize that will be inaugurated at the World Cup final draw in Washington next month.
The Cost to Football Fans
The practical implications for supporters are deeply worrying. Not only has FIFA allowed World Cup tickets to be subject to the loathed dynamic pricing system, potentially making them extortionate, but games might be shifted hundreds or even thousands of miles away due to political considerations.
Football fans considering purchasing expensive tickets and making travel arrangements face the prospect of journeying to a country where even its own president talks down safety and stability. The situation has become so concerning that there are calls for the UK Foreign Office to issue official advice warning of the logistical and political dangers of attending matches.
Trump's White House World Cup taskforce head, Andrew Giuliani, described the next World Cup as potentially "one of the greatest cultural events in world history," while Infantino promised it would be "the greatest and most inclusive World Cup ever." Yet in the hands of marketing men like Infantino, the word "inclusive" often serves as a red flag that someone is about to be excluded – in this case, the fans themselves.
The 2026 World Cup, expanded to 48 teams, already faces criticism for potentially ruining the group stages. Now, with the added threats of political interference and unpredictable pricing, football's greatest tournament risks becoming its most controversial.
