President Donald Trump has suggested that American football should adopt a new name so that soccer, called football globally, can take exclusive ownership of the term.
He made the remark during the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., while speaking about soccer’s rapid rise in the United States.
“When you look at what has happened to football in the United States, again 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. But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called, I mean this is football, there’s no question about it. We need to come up with another name for the NFL stuff,” Trump said. “It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”
During the event, Trump was also presented with the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize. FIFA President Gianni Infantino handed him a trophy featuring golden hands holding a soccer ball, along with a medal he immediately wore.
According to the certificate, the annual prize honors “a distinguished individual who exemplifies an unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity throughout the world through their notable leadership and action.”
In March, Trump signed an executive order creating a task force for the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Trump chairs the task force, with Vice President JD Vance as vice chair and Andrew Giuliani serving as executive director. Eleven of the 16 host cities are in the United States.
Although Trump previously warned that unsafe cities could lose hosting rights, he reaffirmed his confidence in their security on Friday and pledged federal assistance if required.
The tournament will span North America beginning in June 2026, concluding with the championship match on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
