"Il aurait été impossible d'organiser le Mondial-2026" sans Trump, salue son ami Infantino
"Without the commitment and involvement" of Donald Trump, it would have been "impossible to organize a World Cup in the United States," Gianni Infantino said Wednesday in Mexico City, on the eve of the start of the tournament co-organized with Mexico and Canada.
The American president, the FIFA boss continued, "immediately understood the magnitude of the World Cup and its impact."
Gianni Infantino, speaking at a press conference at the Azteca Stadium where Mexico and South Africa will face off on Thursday in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, recalled having "excellent relations" with the American president.
"I met him during his first term and we now work closely together," said the Italian-Swiss leader, who awarded him a FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025, created for the occasion.
"We are talking about the world's greatest power here, so of course there are certain things to take into account (...) but being able to exchange ideas with a president on important issues, with the administration, putting everything on the table, without asking for anything but trying to explain, I think that's probably the key to a positive relationship. That's how I see it," he further explained.
Gianni Infantino, who has appeared several times alongside Donald Trump, notably at his inauguration in January 2025 and at the White House, has often praised his domestic policy.
The US president, who has said he intends to attend some World Cup matches, will not, however, be present at the very first match played on US soil, Friday in Los Angeles between the United States and Paraguay.
It is Secretary of State Marco Rubio who will take his place next to Gianni Infantino in the VIP box.
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