FIFA pays about $4 million for mostly empty Trump Tower office, NYT reports

The lease

FIFA signed a lease of more than seven years for a 17th-floor suite in Trump Tower in New York, worth about $4 million, according to two officials directly involved in the deal and documents reviewed by The New York Times. Le Monde, which also reviewed accounting documents, calculated the rent at $41,000 a month and reports that FIFA's US subsidiary has paid it since June 2025, a year before the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Le Monde describes an office of about 450 square metres, while Der Standard gives about 465 square metres. According to De Standaard, citing the New York Times, the contract runs until 2032. The New York Times reports that the suite mostly sits empty, and Le Monde describes it as largely unoccupied.

Opening and use of the office

FIFA held a launch party for the office about a year before the World Cup. Eric Trump, the president's son, said his family's organization was "honored" to host the global soccer body. Le Monde reports that Trump Tower Commercial LLC, which owns and manages the building, is run by Eric Trump. According to Le Monde, FIFA did not visit other premises or seek competing offers before choosing the Trump Tower for representation activities. Le Monde also reports that four FIFA executives initialled the contract, including secretary general Mattias Grafström. FIFA told Le Monde the lease was signed under its standard internal procedures. The federation says the space is used for special events and meetings with high-profile guests, including on the margins of the UN General Assembly, and that it pays a market-rate price.

Ties to Trump

The New York Times reports that Infantino has praised the American president and created a special peace prize in his honor. During the World Cup, FIFA rescinded the suspension of Folarin Balogun, a star striker for the US team, after a call between Trump and Infantino, which prompted accusations of bias and political interference. The newspaper also reports that senior FIFA officials had raised concerns about renting space in a Trump-linked building, in a high-tax state, without a clear need. Infantino has also faced scrutiny over secret talks to sell a portion of future tournaments to a private fund run by the brother of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. European soccer's governing body threatened to bring a complaint to criminal court over that plan, and Infantino has accused his critics of a harassment campaign. Critics, as De Standaard reports, see the Trump Tower lease as part of a pattern that also includes ties to the organizers of the 2022, 2030 and 2034 World Cups in Qatar, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Undeclared pay allegations

The Times of London reports that Infantino did not declare part of his income as FIFA president, a "hidden second salary" of more than 1.5 million euros from an American organization, according to De Standaard. Der Standard reports that Infantino is said to have received $1.72 million from the World Cup organization in 2024 on top of his salary, without disclosing it. Le Temps gives the figure as $1.76 million. The reports differ on the amount, and the articles do not reconcile the two figures. Le Temps and Ouest France present these pay claims as separate from the office lease, though both are part of the same run of allegations against Infantino.

What comes next

FIFA's council meets on Thursday, 15 October, in Zurich. Ouest France reports that the new revelations are expected to be raised at that meeting, and De Standaard describes the allegations as building up in the run-up to the gathering. The lease, if it runs as reported, would continue until 2032.