Infantino chases Trump support as FIFA presidency hangs in balance after failed commercial deal
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly tried and failed to reach Donald Trump by phone since Friday, after a plan to sell World Cup commercial rights to a private equity firm collapsed and member federations began withdrawing support for his re-election bid.
The falling-out with Washington
Gianni Infantino is scrambling for political cover in the United States after the collapse of his flagship commercial project, but the White House door appears to be closing. The FIFA president attempted multiple phone calls to Donald Trump starting Friday, when his plan to hand a slice of World Cup commercial activities to Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital fell apart under fierce opposition from UEFA and other confederations. Trump has stopped taking his calls, according to the New York Post and other outlets citing informed sources. A separate call reportedly scheduled for Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio was publicly denied by both the State Department and FIFA.
We all know this is about saving his job. At this point, nothing else is at stake.
Dylan Johnson, the State Department's assistant secretary for global public affairs, posted on X that the New York Post "should check its sources or… could have simply asked us." A FIFA source told OutKick that no call with Rubio or any other Trump administration official was scheduled or took place. One source close to Rubio, consulted by La Stampa, did not rule out that a conversation occurred but described it as a "simple chat" at a very informal level, no official request was made.
The project that triggered the revolt
Infantino's troubles began with FIFA Forward Enterprise, a proposal to sell a portion of World Cup commercial rights to private investors, including a firm run by Josh Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law. UEFA's member federations voted unanimously to threaten a boycott, and the plan was withdrawn on 1 August. The retreat did not calm the backlash: it opened a breach that opponents inside FIFA are now exploiting.
Gianni helped us enormously to organise the best World Cup ever. The president likes him a lot. I am sure the president will do everything in his power to help him.
Federations peel away
Support for Infantino's re-election bid for the 2027–2031 term is eroding by the hour. On Monday alone, four federations announced they were withdrawing their backing within a span of just over four hours, including the Football Association of Serbia. Finland and Wales had already declared they would not support him, and England is reported to be leaning the same way. UEFA has threatened legal action, and the CONCACAF confederation's official position has been described as a breach in Infantino's strongest base of support. His opponents inside the organisation now have the numbers to present a motion of no confidence.
Soft power or survival
Infantino has framed his outreach to the Trump administration around football's role as a soft-power tool for the United States. No one in the football world is buying it. The real objective, multiple outlets report, is to find powerful allies who can pressure member federations to keep him in office ahead of the FIFA presidential election set for 18 March 2027, with a candidate nomination deadline of 18 November 2026. French president Emmanuel Macron has reportedly aligned with UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin to preserve the unity of world football and avoid a lasting split between continents.
What comes next
The coming weeks will show whether Infantino can rebuild institutional consensus or whether the revolt gathers enough momentum to force him out before the election even takes place. For now, the president of world football's governing body finds himself isolated inside his own Zurich headquarters, watching key allies step back and waiting for a phone call that the White House is not returning.
