
What’s behind Trump’s relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino?
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Sarah
For years now, Donald Trump has been developing a pretty cozy friendship with Gianni Infantino. He is the president of FIFA and that's football's governing world body. And the two of them have got pretty matey ever since. In 2018, America won the bid to co host the 2026 World cup and.
Donald Trump
It'S going to be very special. I look forward to it. So let's see, 2026, I won't be here. I won't be here. Maybe they'll extend the 10 because I know they'd love to see something because if they don't extend reason, the media is going to be very boring. It's going to be very boring. They'll be out of business, I guess.
Sarah
Now at the time, Donald Trump was very happy about that, but thought he would not be in office to see it happen. Well, of course, as it transpired, he lost the election in 2020, came back in 2024 and he will be sitting pretty in the White House as America co hosts this World cup next summer. Yet this is Donald Trump, so it's always got political. There are questions about whether FIFA's losing its political neutrality, whether Donald Trump is trying to use this to its advantage. Basically, can he magify the World Cup? That's what we're asking today. Welcome to AmericasT.
Henry Bushnell
AmericasT AmericaT from BBC News, when Donald.
Anthony
Trump calls, they say yes Sir. Right away, sir. Happy to lick your boot, sir. We are the sickest country in the world.
Henry Bushnell
Oh dear.
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Are you worried that billionaire are going to go hungry? Of course the president supports peaceful protests.
Henry Bushnell
What a stupid question.
Donald Trump
Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?
Sarah
Hello, it's Sarah here in the BBC's.
Anthony
Washington bureau and it's Anthony right next to Sarah here in Washington, D.C. it's.
Sarah
Very fortunate, I think, given this topic, that we are shortly going to be joined in the podcast by Henry Bushnell, who is a senior soccer writer at the Athletic and who's going to talk to us about the Trumpification of the FIFA World cup, which really starts on Friday.
Anthony
I guess starts on Friday. Today is Thursday. So people are just starting to arrive to town for the big event tomorrow at the Kennedy center here in Washington, D.C. where we will know the countries, how they are allotted to the various pools and so have some idea of what their chances are to win the tournament. But this is a politics podcast. So we're going to be talking about the political angle of this because I think there really is a political angle to this event. One is here in Washington, D.C. and two, Donald Trump is front and center through all of it.
Sarah
Yeah. And at the draw on Friday, as you say, at the Kennedy center, very prestigious Washington location, who I think have given FIFA a cut price deal on it. But then of course, isn't Donald Trump the chairman of the Kennedy center now? So he could probably make those decisions and he will be lapping it up, won't he?
Anthony
I think he will be. He loves the spotlight. Obviously this is the global stage. So this is an opportunity for him to really call attention to himself, call attention to the Kennedy center, which as you mentioned, Trump and his associates have taken control of pretty dramatically over the course of the past ten months or so. And then to be able to kick ahead to what I think he thinks will be a big international spectacle for the World cup in summer.
Sarah
And apparently the Village People are gonna be there as well. Last seen at the inauguration, weren't they Donald Trump's favorite 80s band playing the MAGA anthem, Y YMCA?
Anthony
Yeah, you know, they're pulling out all the stops. No Lee Greenwood, I haven't seen yet the God Bless the USA song, but I'm holding out hope that he makes an appearance too. They're actually going to be other world leaders there. The United States isn't the sole host of this World Cup. Canada and Mexico are as well. So Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will be there. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum will be there. But clearly they are taking a backseat to the Donald Trump spectacle.
Sarah
FIFA have invented this new thing, a FIFA Peace Prize, that's gonna be awarded as well. So do you think it will be the Canadian or the Mexican leaders that get it?
Anthony
That would be a shock. I actually would love to be in the room and see the expression on Donald Trump's face if they gave it to Mark Carney. But no, I think it's fairly transparent what they're doing here. There was a lot of angst and anger in the White House, and particularly from Donald Trump. When Donald Trump did not win the Nobel Peace Prize just a number of weeks ago, they sharply criticized the Nobel committee for being too politicized. And then all of a sudden, the FIFA organization and its head decided to come up with this FIFA Peace Prize. And they haven't announced who the winner is going to be. But I think we all have a pretty sneaking suspicion that the person celebrated for being such a peacemaker is also going to be the person who is standing there on stage presiding over all of this.
Sarah
And of course, when the US Originally secured its place as being a co host, along with Mexico and Canada, of this year's World cup, that was when Donald Trump was in his first term. And it was quite a prize in itself to get to be the host. There was a seminal moment in 2018 when the FIFA president made his first trip to the White House and Gianni Infantino presented the US president with a Trump 26 FIFA football shirt. And then he had one final gift.
Soccer Analyst
One more thing that could be useful for you. You know, in soccer, we have referees, right? And they have cards, yellow cards and red cards. Yellow card is a warning, right? And when you want to kick out someone, you should win that card.
Sarah
Like this. That's true.
Soccer Analyst
That's true.
Anthony
So a red card warning for the gathered media there. Donald Trump, a little more lighthearted dig at the media compared to some of the stuff we've heard recently. But they did show the kind of warm relationship between Gianni Infantino and Trump, a relationship that has been built on since then. If you remember back in 2020 at Davos, at a dinner of CEOs there, this was right after Donald Trump had been impeached for the first time. Infantino took the stage and lavished the embattled president with praise.
Soccer Analyst
President Trump is definitely a sportsman. I am lucky enough in my life to come across some of the most talented athletes in soccer. And President Trump is made of the same sort of fiber. He's a competitor. He wants to Compete. He wants to win. He wants to show who is the best. He says actually what many think.
But more importantly he does than what he says.
Sarah
For the last few years, I think Gianni Infantino has been conducting a masterclass in how to court Donald Trump. So that kind of praise and also back in 2020 when people were not flattering Donald Trump all the time will have endeared him to him. But more recently, he keeps bringing golden gifts to, to the Oval Office. And we know there's nothing Donald Trump likes more than a little bit more glitter around the office. And so he now has a replica of the FIFA World cup that will be presented later this summer. And he's got a huge replica of the FIFA Club World cup that he handed over last year. He's got his own copy of it in there and we know how much he loves. Yes, just gilding the Oval Office more and more and more. And there's nothing quite like a golden gift to get him on side, is there?
Anthony
Right. And the jersey and I think a soccer ball I think I've seen tossed around. Clearly this is the place playbook. And it's a playbook that is being delivered, as you mentioned, very, very effectively and has won Donald Trump over who, let's be honest, I don't think Donald Trump was a big soccer fan, but clearly he likes the idea of this kind of global pageantry and being connected with it. He also likes the idea of having more political power that he can wield here in the United States. And one of the ways he has done that is by threatening some of the cities that have been announced long ago now announced to host World cup games, saying that if they don't shape up, these are Democrat controlled cities, they don't shape up. If they don't do what he says, they could lose the right to host the games. Here he is talking about that last month.
Donald Trump
If we think there's going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Johnny to move that to a different city. We have a lot of cities that would love to have it number one, and we'll do it very safely. So if we think there's a problem in Seattle where you have a very, very liberal slash communist mayor, I would say, you know, it's certainly beyond just liberal. I watched her over the weekend. Wow, that's another beauty we got there. But if we think there's going to be a problem, we'll. Johnny, can I say we will move. I don't think you're going to have this problem, but we're going to move the event to someplace where it's going to be appreciated and safe.
Sarah
You can't really move the venues at this short notice.
Anthony
I wouldn't imagine there's so much infrastructure built up. I mean, the venues have been specifically chosen for their hotel capacity, for the size of the city, for their public transit, for the quality of their stadiums. So it would be pretty dramatic. And correct me if I'm wrong, but tomorrow in the drawing we'll find out where some of these teams are playing as well. So I think people are going to start snapping up tickets for the cities that their teams will end up in.
Sarah
Yeah, they'll start booking airfares and hotel rooms and all sorts of things. If you were to suddenly tell them, yo, it's not happening in Philadelphia, actually, after all, it's going to be in Denver instead. There would be. Yes.
Anthony
You can't just hop in a car and drive to Denver. Yeah. America's a very big country and there are two countries. I mean, it's not just the Canada and Mexico as well.
Sarah
There is the potential, though, isn't there, for some politics around immigration with this? Because the administration has not ruled out the idea of immigration raids at games. And you could imagine, for instance, a huge expat community turning up to watch a South American country playing. And who knows what might happen if ICE think, oh, well, this is an opportunity to find some undocumented migrants.
Anthony
Yeah, Haiti has made the World Cup. I assume they will be playing in the United States. I guess they could play in Mexico or Canada and avoid a little bit of this, but there's a, a good chance they could end up in the United States. And Donald Trump has in the past targeted Haitian immigrants. ICE has focused on these communities that are living here in the United States. And it could be a kind of a rallying point for those immigrant communities. And then you could see some sort of a crackdown. If they really want to do this. I'll be curious to see how much of that there is, because I don't think Donald Trump would want something to mar this big event. But it is a concern. And even if it doesn't materialize, if you're coming here from another country or you're a member of an immigrant community here in the United States, how comfortable would you feel associating with these games, showing up with like minded compatriots in places where you're all together? Because that has in the past been where ICE and immigration enforcement has been targeting people.
Sarah
Yeah. And of course that's why Bad Bunny won't play any concerts in the United States, because he says he's worried that, yeah, the ICE would turn up and try and conduct raids amongst his fans if he was performing here. There's another issue as well is that's come up because after the shooting last week of a National Guard soldier here in Washington near the White House, one of the ways the administration has responded by saying they're going to pretty much pause all visas from 19 particular countries, two of which have qualified for the World Cup. Haiti, as you mentioned, and Iran. And we don't know, do we like, what that's going to mean for any of their fans turning up or potentially the team or anybody associated with that?
Anthony
Yeah, these are the kind of political concerns that are injecting into what should be otherwise a sport celebration. So I think they're going to have to find a way of working through that. I think they'll probably find a way of getting the teams here. But yeah, if you're a fan from Iran, 1, would you want to come here, given the climate, the political climate? But two, could you even pull it off? And how easy would it be to travel between, say, Mexico and the US if you have games there, or Canada and the US if your games there and then you make the knockout round and are playing somewhere else? I mean, it's the logistics of one, a kind of a multinational tournament. But a multinational tournament where one of the countries has very clear political ax to grind against some of the participating nations. I think that is going to be something that we have to watch and something that could blow up in everyone's face.
Sarah
But as you said earlier, and I'm sure you're right, Trump ultimately wants this to be a success. And we've seen him before, haven't we, turning up at huge sporting events very visibly there. It's a way of sort of, I think, enmeshing himself into the nation's culture as well as its politics, being seen to participate in these things. And I'm sure he'll be front and center at some of the World cup games as well. Do you think he'll expect to be able to hand over the trophy to the winners?
Anthony
I'm sure he would love to do that. I wouldn't be surprised if he was there in the middle of the pitch, as you say, at the end of the championship game, handing out the trophy. When you look at these big sporting events and the World cup is one of them, but the Olympics is another one, it is in some nations, in some authoritarian Nations, I would say a chance to really turn the patriotism up to 11, to really boost, like, this kind of idea of nationalism. You remember the ones in China, the opening ceremonies for the Olympics in China, where it's this massive thing with all the drummers and all this kind of celebration of Chinese culture. Same with the Russian World cup in 2018.
Sarah
And obviously you mean the London 2012 Olympics as well, and the astonishing celebration of British culture at the opening ceremony.
Anthony
Absolutely. The National Health Service and the factory. Coal factories coming up, actually, I really enjoy that. And the Queen jumping out of an airplane. These are all celebrations of British culture. But it is a chance for a generous view would be good spirited patriotism. A more cynical view would be kind of jingoistic celebration of a country's nationalism and culture.
Sarah
Well, Anthony, that leads us very neatly into introducing our guest whom you and I spoke to yesterday, in fact, the senior soccer writer at the Athletic, Henry Bushnell. And I started our chat by asking him why he thinks President Trump is so enamored with the World Cup.
Henry Bushnell
Because he's a showman and he understands that it's a massive event. I think it boils down to that. And you'll notice that he's not associating himself with any one specific team, not even the US Team, at least not yet. He's associating himself with the event and the glitz and the glamour of it and the massive stage that he knows is coming and that Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, is giving him and that he is going to, you know, use in whatever way he wants to use it to push his agenda, to, you know, just paint himself in a. In a positive light. That's why he is so enamored with this. He likes sports for the. For the show.
Anthony
Yeah. Donald Trump is an American football guy. He owned USFL football team in the 1980s. But here he is going full in on soccer, and he seems to have developed a special relationship with Infantino. Why do you think they have that seemingly close connection?
Henry Bushnell
Yeah, it's very interesting. I think part of it is by necessity that the World cup has brought them together and that FIFA needs the national government of any World cup host country for a variety of reasons. But then I think it has also developed into somewhat of a friendship. And they just like, they get along. And a lot of people I've spoken with over the years say that they share, you know, some qualities, like some in. I reported out a piece on Infantino earlier this year, and people have described him as Trumpian in a Lot of ways, just in the way that. And like the way he runs FIFA is very like, I wouldn't say authoritarian, but it is autocratic in a ways. And like, he is making a lot of the decisions. Everything filters up to him and he is a very good politician and he gets things done.
Sarah
That relationship seems to go beyond just discussing what might happen with the World cup and the visits that we've seen from Infantino making to Donald Trump in the Oval Office, pops up all over the world at international conventions. He was even in Egypt when the Gaza peace deal was being signed and being photographed alongside all the other world leaders there. I mean, is he involved in world politics as well as football?
Henry Bushnell
It sure seems like he wants to be. Despite his repeated assurances that football and politics should be separate. It seems like, you know, maybe after he's done with FIFA, like that could be his next thing, who knows? But, you know, in addition to being at the Gaza summit earlier this year, he was late to the FIFA congress because he was with Trump in the Middle East. So, like, I don't know if it is that he has bigger ambitious or that he thinks it is important for the football world, the soccer world, to be represented at these stages to, you know, both to cement the sport as the, you know, the world's sport or to use it to accomplish bigger things beyond sport. But he certainly, like he more so than any previous soccer leader, is involving himself in these political things.
Anthony
Right, but, but there are people who point to FIFA in particular as a corrupt organization, that there's a history of bribery, there's a history of lining their own pockets, and, and that this isn't some sort of a model international organization that's upholding all the great standards in this world, that this is kind of a dirty organization. And the same accusations we see leveled at Trump are being leveled at FIFA as well.
Henry Bushnell
Absolutely. And FIFA would argue that that was the previous regime. And they have, under Infantino, they have moved away from the bribery. And to be fair to them, they have put in some controls that have probably not necessarily totally eradicated, but stamped out a decent amount of the blatant, what we would actually call bribery, like cash for TV rights under the table, things like that. But the way he runs the organization, like the way somebody described it to me earlier this year, was legal bribery. Like, it's, I will give you one thing so that you do this. It's just kind of like a quid pro quo type of thing. None of this is legal. And in fact, like a lot of people within the soccer world, like Infantino and like the way he's running it because he's making them so much money.
Sarah
Why will this be a particularly lucrative World cup ticket? Prices are higher than normal, aren't they? Which has already been causing something of a fuss among football fans. But are there other reasons why there's more money involved in this one?
Henry Bushnell
Well, it's bigger than ever. It's 48 teams instead of 32. It's 104 games instead of 64. It's being played at these massive American NFL stadiums. So still, the 1994 World cup, which was held at American NFL stadiums, is the most attended World cup ever. Even though it was only 24 teams. This is going to be twice that, basically, and probably more than more than twice that in terms of attendance. They're selling those tickets for way higher prices than they ever. Than they ever have. It's also going to be really expensive to attend. And part of that is in FIFA's control with the ticket prices and, you know, selling parking passes alone for 75 or over $100 and all these other ways that they're making fans pay for it. But it's also just expensive to travel to America in general.
Anthony
And I remember that 94 World Cup. I was here in D.C. and I actually bought tickets maybe a week ahead of time to go see a knockout round game between Spain and Switzerland here in D.C. i remember just four years before that, in 1990, having to watch Spanish language television to see the World cup televised here in the United States. So definitely it has become dramatically bigger here in the US Although I was struck by the fact that there are no games here in D.C. there won't be any games here in, in D.C. next year. What we do have in D.C. is this big World cup pool draw, which I hear you're going to be at on, on Friday at the Kennedy center with Donald Trump and Infantino and all the, the big FIFA celebrities and sports stars gonna be there. Why is that being held at the Kennedy center when we don't have a game to go to next year?
Henry Bushnell
Yeah, it's not necessarily connected to whether there's a game or not. The plan for a while was actually to have it in Las Vegas, where there are also not games. But they held the draw there back in 1993 ahead of the 1994 World Cup. And that's where a lot of people seem to want it to go and think it made sense because it's a big show. Right. But then the trumpet. So the history of the Kennedy center, which your listeners are probably more aware of than maybe the sports audience. But you know, Trump essentially took it over earlier this year and he recommended it, at least we've been told that he recommended it to, to, to FIFA as the site and FIFA wanted him involved, or maybe specifically Gianni Infantino wanted him involved.
Anthony
So again, it's all about Trump.
Henry Bushnell
It's not going to be all about Trump. There are still a lot of people who are going to be focused on the picking of teams. But we are expecting him, we don't, we don't know for sure, but we are expecting him to be very prominently involved on Friday.
Sarah
And he can see other political opportunity here as well. And he's been threatening recently to remove games from Democrat run cities that he doesn't like. And because, I mean, I presume that cities and local businesses tend to make huge amount of money out of this as well as FIFA. If you thought it was difficult to get a hotel room when Taylor Swift was playing, just try and do it when it's the World cup semifinal or something. But can Donald Trump actually do that? Can he decide that these games shouldn't be played in cities where he doesn't get on with the mayor or the governor?
Henry Bushnell
No, it's not up to him. That said, he does plenty of things that he's, he and his administration do plenty of things that technically they, they aren't allowed to do. But that said, there's no chance at this point that you could pick a new city to take games to. There's an outside chance that if, let's say some city actually isn't safe, that you could take the six or seven games that are in that city and spread them around to some of the other cities that are already planning to host games. But still, it's very late in the game for that. Like so much planning goes into this. Tickets have already been sold to these games. There's, there's so much or so many moving parts around them that it's both like not technically not allowed and not in his power and also just unfeasible at this point.
Sarah
There are some worries, aren't there, about people from abroad buying tickets, possibly from African countries, maybe other countries that Donald Trump doesn't have in his favorites list, whether or not they will get visas to come in as a tourist to watch these games, even if they've already bought a ticket.
Henry Bushnell
Even for fans of countries who are not going to be on the travel ban list, visa wait times are very long. FIFA and the US Government have announced A special, they call it FIFA pass, which is going to guarantee that ticket holders get expedited visa interviews. But it doesn't mean they get approved for the visa. It just means they are going to be able to get an interview in time and kind of cut the line. Everyone involved is confident that people who are actually participating in the World cup, so the players, the coaches, the officials, things like that, they are, they are going to be able to get visas and they are going to get here. But for, for fans, both in terms of visa rejections and also just wait times and the logistical process of even getting an interview, it's going to be difficult for a lot of people.
Sarah
Yes, you may or may not have noticed, I'll forgive you if you haven't, that Scotland have qualified for the first time in almost 30 years. England are through as well, but that's more commonplace. The Scottish fans who arrive in the United States to follow the team are going to be very, very excited and that's putting it mildly and quite exuberant potentially as well. Will they be met with a similar level of excitement from, from Americans, do you think about this tournament that's being held here?
Henry Bushnell
It won't be the same as the passion around the world for football. I think Americans get excited in their own way for big events. So I think like once June rolls around, there will be a decent amount of buzz. And also when we think about whether Americans will be excited, we often think about the average 40 year old male white native born American who likes American football and basketball or baseball or something like. But you know, American also encapsulates so many different immigrant communities and people who do have like soccer in their past or soccer in their blood, as a lot of people would say. You know, let's say Scotland plays Colombia, for example. There will be some traveling, you know, fans who travel from Colombia for that game, but there will also be tens of thousands of Colombian Americans who go to that game and make it an incredible atmosphere. And that like some of the atmospheres at the club World cup were really good, especially the ones involving South American teams and some of the North African teams. So I think there will be some atmospheres that in part because the tickets are so expensive, are kind of stale and just like rich people who are going for the show. But there will also be a lot of good atmospheres, I think.
Anthony
And one thing Americans like, as you know, are winners and the US does have a team that is competing in this. So give it to me straight, what are you doing? What are the US Chances in this. I mean, they've been playing a little better of late. Are they going to be able to make a run?
Henry Bushnell
Yeah, I was going to say the chances are better than we thought they were a few months ago. They're on a bit of a good run right now. I think they should definitely make it out of their group. I think a reasonable expectation would be to win one knockout game. That would be the round of 32. And then if they get to the quarterfinal, I think that's probably exceeding expectations at this point. You know, somebody asked a question on one of our internal calls earlier in the week, like, can the US win the World Cup? And the answer is, like, anybody can win the World Cup. There's a chance they will have a chance to make a run. Whether they do, we'll have to see.
Sarah
Yeah, well, it doesn't sound like there's that much chance then, of them meeting Scotland, but if there is, we'll do a special America. I think you and I together for that one. But, yeah, in the meantime, Henry, thank you so much for joining us. That's been really, really fascinating if you supplied a level of political and sporting knowledge that we couldn't have done without.
Henry Bushnell
Appreciate it, guys. This was fun.
Sarah
Now, because we're recording this on Thursday before the draw has happened, you and I do not know if there's any chance of the US playing Scotland, if they'll be drawn in the same group, but just in case, I think there's something. You probably didn't watch the game where Scotland qualified, but it was. Was an enormous event. So have a listen to the passion that you will be faced with if you were to try and meet Scotland on the pitch in the World Cup. Listen to what BBC Radio Scotland sounded like when they were covering the match just as it was about to finish and Scotland were about to seal it with a fourth goal against Denmark. It was amazing.
Donald Trump
Surely now Scotland will hold on to possession. It's McLean. He's got. Looking to go for goal from the halfway line is Chip Schmidt.
Glorious, glorious. Kerry McLean with the halfway line. Scotland 4, Denmark 2. We are returning to the World Cup. What?
Sarah
I kid you not. That cheering and roar at Hampden park actually registered on the seismic Richter scale. It could be felt across Glasgow and probably across Scotland. So it will be with great enthusiasm that Scotland fans turn up here.
Anthony
No one has ever accused the Scottish of lacking enthusiasm. I think that much is clear.
Sarah
Well, yes, I remember being kidded when I was. I must have been 10 years old when Scotland qualified in 1978 to go to the Argentina World Cup. I think England didn't that year. And yeah, so convinced was I that we were going to win because we all sung at school this song that was known across Scotland that we were on the march with Ali's army. We are going to the Argentina and we'll really shake them up when we win the World cup. Cause Scotland are the greatest football team hey. So yes, we'll be repurposing the words for America.
Anthony
We don't have a soccer song I'm afraid, but we'll do our best to to be gracious hosts and to win it all when we have our chance.
Sarah
Yeah, right.
Anthony
Bye bye bye.
Podcast Host
Thank you for listening to another episode. It is you, the ameracaster that makes ameracast the community that it now is. If you like what you've heard, please do subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. We always want to hear your feedback as well. We look at every single bit of correspondence that we get so you can send us an email americastbc.co.uk the WhatsApp is 443-301-239480 and you can get involved in the AmericasT Discord server. The link to that is in the description. Till next time. Bye bye.
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Henry Bushnell
Be a McDonald's y veras lo quetramo enovo grinch meal ya McDonald's and McDonald's participantes a sagotar existencias para papa, papa, papa.
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Henry Bushnell
I'm here to tell you about my.
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Donald Trump
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Anthony
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Donald Trump
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Released: December 5, 2025
This episode of Americast delves into the political spectacle surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico—particularly the involvement of President Donald Trump. The hosts explore whether Trump is leveraging the tournament to promote his nationalist agenda, the deepening connections between him and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and how the event is being shaped by American politics. With expert insights from Henry Bushnell, senior soccer writer at The Athletic, the episode interrogates the “Trumpification” of the World Cup and its complicated intersection with sport, culture, and diplomacy.
“Can he magify the World Cup? That’s what we’re asking today.”
— Sarah Smith (01:44)
“He loves the spotlight. Obviously, this is the global stage... an opportunity for him to call attention to himself, call attention to the Kennedy Center... and to kick ahead to what I think he thinks will be a big international spectacle.”
— Anthony Zurcher (03:55)
“There was a lot of angst and anger in the White House...when Donald Trump did not win the Nobel Peace Prize...And then all of a sudden, the FIFA organization...came up with this FIFA Peace Prize. But I think we all have a pretty sneaking suspicion that the person celebrated for being such a peacemaker is also going to be the person who is standing there on stage presiding over all of this.”
— Anthony Zurcher (05:13)
“For the last few years, I think Gianni Infantino has been conducting a masterclass in how to court Donald Trump...he keeps bringing golden gifts to the Oval Office. And we know there’s nothing Donald Trump likes more than a little bit more glitter around the office.”
— Sarah Smith (07:57)
“If we think there’s going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Johnny to move that to a different city. We have a lot of cities that would love to have it, number one, and we'll do it very safely.”
— Donald Trump (09:26)
“Because he’s a showman and he understands that it’s a massive event... he’s associating himself with the event and the glitz and the glamour of it and the massive stage that he knows is coming and that Gianni Infantino...is giving him.”
— Henry Bushnell (15:23)
“It’s not up to him...there’s no chance at this point that you could pick a new city to take games to. There’s an outside chance that if, let’s say, some city actually isn’t safe, you could take the six or seven games that are in that city and spread them around...But still, it’s very late in the game for that.”
— Henry Bushnell (23:00)
“There will also be a lot of good atmospheres, I think...let’s say Scotland plays Colombia...there will be tens of thousands of Colombian Americans who go to that game and make it an incredible atmosphere.”
— Henry Bushnell (25:12)
The episode is characteristically wry, insightful, and deeply political, blending sharp reporting with cultural observation. The hosts’ skepticism toward pageantry and political maneuvering is clear, but the tone remains analytical rather than alarmist, with doses of good-natured British banter.
This Americast episode offers a comprehensive examination of the tangled intersection between global sport and American (MAGA-inflected) politics. Drawing on expert views and the hosts’ deep knowledge, listeners are left with an understanding of how Trump’s presidency might reshape one of the world’s biggest sporting events, raising as many political and cultural questions as it does sporting ones.