Trump and Infantino Give an Over-the-Top Assessment

"That was the most successful sporting event, perhaps in the history of the world. It was fantastic," Trump gushed at a FIFA reception in New York, standing alongside Infantino.

The U.S. Wants to Host the World Cup Again

The U.S. president hinted that his country might bid again to host the World Cup. “I say we should choose the U.S. again. This time, we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out,” Trump said.

England-Coach wehrt sich

Trump kritisiert Tuchel-Taktik: «Etwas ungewöhnlich»

But Infantino had another idea. The FIFA president said that the U.S. could team up with China next time. It remained unclear how seriously Trump meant this remark about the unrealistic combination. “That would make for nice, short flights between games,” he joked. “The players would love it.”

Most recently, Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House task force for the World Cup, had already raised the possibility of a U.S. bid for the 64-team 2038 World Cup. Trump told Infantino that he understood the FIFA president to mean that he would “make the World Cup even bigger next time.” Most recently, Infantino had once again not ruled out an imminent expansion of the World Cup from the current 48 to 64 teams.

"The Greatest World Cup in History"

Two days before the final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, Infantino spoke, as usual, in personal terms, calling it “the greatest World Cup in history.” “It is the greatest human, social, and cultural event that humanity has ever experienced and witnessed, and we are all part of it,” he said. As evidence for his claim, Infantino cited, among other things, the attendance figures at the stadiums and the number of viewers watching on television. “The American Dream, Mr. President, has come true.”

Infantino and Trump thanked each other for their support. “You don’t need anyone to pay you compliments, Mr. President. But this World Cup wouldn’t have been such an incredible success without you,” Infantino said.