US President Donald Trump has publicly backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the head of world football faces mounting pressure over his failed plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights of FIFA competitions.
Trump warned that removing Infantino would be a “terrible mistake”, intervening after UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) accused FIFA’s leadership of deception and a serious breach of trust.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on social media.
He described Infantino as “fantastic” and praised his stewardship of the recently completed 2026 World Cup, which was staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Trump claimed Infantino had presided over “the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented” and warned FIFA would “never be as successful or profitable again” without him.
The intervention comes at a critical moment for Infantino following the collapse of the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
Under the plan, a new company would have been established to manage commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including its World Cups. A minority stake in that business would then have been sold to outside investors.
The proposal triggered fierce opposition within international football and was eventually abandoned.
UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC escalated their criticism this week with a joint open letter accusing FIFA’s leadership of a “fundamental breach of trust”. The three confederations also demanded an independent review into what happened.
Their statement said trust had been damaged “through deception” and criticised a leadership approach they argued had placed individual authority above the collective interests of football.
Although the letter did not explicitly call Infantino out by name, pressure on the FIFA president is intensifying. Reports indicate that the three confederations are pushing for him to resign, while discussions have also taken place about the possibility of rival competitions if the crisis cannot be resolved.
The United States Soccer Federation has added to that pressure by backing demands for “meaningful change” at FIFA.
Trump’s intervention is particularly significant because of his close relationship with Infantino.
The FIFA president awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025, while the two men were highly visible together during the World Cup.
The tournament ended with Spain defeating Argentina in the final, with Trump joining Infantino during the trophy presentation.
There is also an American political connection to the abandoned investment proposal. Thrive Eternal had been expected to lead the proposed FFE investor group. Its associated venture capital business was founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump had previously said he had not discussed the FFE proposal with Infantino.
His latest comments therefore represent his strongest public intervention yet in a crisis that has developed into one of the biggest challenges to Infantino’s authority during his decade at the head of FIFA.
Whether Trump’s backing helps Infantino retain the confidence of football’s regional powerbrokers remains uncertain.
With UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC publicly challenging FIFA’s leadership, the dispute has moved well beyond the abandoned commercial proposal and developed into a broader battle over trust, governance and Infantino’s future.
