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President Donald Trump proposed that the American sport of football should be renamed so that soccer, which is called soccer in almost every other country, can adopt the name.
Trump made his comments during the World Cup draw in Washington, DC, on Friday, while discussing soccer’s growth in the United States
“When you look at what’s happened with football in the United States, again football in the United States, we never seem to call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing called football. But when you think about it, it shouldn’t really be called that, I mean, this is football, there’s no doubt about it. We’ve got to come up with another name for the NFL stuff,” Trump said.
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“It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”
Trump was also awarded the first FIFA Peace Prize at the draw on Friday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the award, which included a trophy with golden hands holding a soccer ball. He was also awarded a medal, which he put on almost immediately.
TRUMP SAYS US READY TO HOST WORLD CITY, WILL ‘TACK UP’ CRIME IN HOST CITIES
United States President Donald Trump poses for a selfie with FIFA President Gianni Infantino on stage during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025 in Washington, DC (Emilee Chinn/FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
In March, Trump signed an executive order creating a task force for soccer tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Trump serves as chairman of the task force, while Vice President JD Vance serves as vice chairman. As CEO, Rudy Giuliani’s son was tasked with managing and overseeing day-to-day operations.
The United States is home to 11 of the 16 host cities.
The president previously threatened to move games out of the cities if they were deemed unsafe, but after arriving at the Kennedy Center on Friday, he reaffirmed his confidence in the safety of those cities and promised federal support if needed.
President Donald Trump selects the United States for Group D during the official draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025 in Washington, DC (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
The championship game will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The international tournament, which spans North America, begins in June 2026 and is the first World Cup in more than two decades to take place in multiple countries.
