World
Report: Trump wants FIFA chief Infantino to serve as next UN secretary-general
US President Donald Trump reportedly wants FIFA president Gianni Infantino to become the next United Nations secretary-general after the 2026 soccer World Cup, according to the New York Post.
The newspaper said on Tuesday that Trump believes the Swiss soccer administrator — who this year was also granted Lebanese citizenship — has the global profile and leadership skills needed to unite countries through sport, following their increasingly close relationship during preparations for the World Cup.
Infantino would need to secure the backing of the 15-member UN Security Council before being confirmed by the General Assembly to replace António Guterres, whose term ends in December.
According to the report, it is unclear whether Infantino is interested in the role or whether Trump has discussed the proposal directly with him. It is understood that Trump views the current field of contenders as uninspiring and believes the FIFA chief could emerge as a strong outsider candidate.
Trump ally Paolo Zampolli reportedly supports the idea, arguing that Infantino’s experience leading soccer’s global governing body would translate well to the UN.
The proposal would break with expectations that the next secretary-general will come from Latin America or the Caribbean, a region widely seen as next in line for the post.
The current candidates for the top UN post are Jewish Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Ecuadorian diplomat Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and Rafael Grossi, the Argentine head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Neither the White House nor FIFA immediately commented on the report, which has already sparked debate over whether a sports administrator could realistically lead the world’s largest international organization.
Trump’s close relationship with Infantino has at times sparked controversy, including earlier this month when the president intervened on behalf of US soccer star Folarin Balogun, who had been handed a red-card suspension at a World Cup match.
After FIFA lifted the suspension, Trump confirmed that he had called Infantino to ask for a review of the red card, but denied that he had directly asked him to lift the ban.
“I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do,” he said at the time.
His involvement sparked outrage among international soccer bodies, who said it amounted to political interference in the World Cup.
In December, after Trump failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which he had openly been campaigning for, Infantino awarded him the inaugural FIFA peace prize.
The FIFA chief had made it clear he believed Trump should have been awarded the Nobel prize for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, and said he awarded him the FIFA prize for his actions to “promote peace and unity around the world.”
The creation of the prize was a departure from the federation’s focus on soccer, the sole thing it was created to oversee more than 100 years ago.
