Donald Trump wants to pick Gianni Infantino for a new job just days after the World Cup.
Donald Trump reportedly wants to nominate FIFA president Gianni Infantino for a new job after the 2026 World Cup.
Trump watched Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He and his wife, Melania, sat with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Infantino, and other FIFA officials. Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney, and Spain’s King Felipe VI were also there.
Trump handed out the winners’ and runners-up medals before giving Spain the World Cup trophy. This was the first match Trump attended during the tournament, but he was involved in another way too. He called Infantino to see if the US striker Folarin Balogun could appeal his red card from an earlier match. Thanks to support from the Trump administration, FIFA suspended Balogun’s ban for a year so he could play against Belgium. Unfortunately, the US lost 4-1 and didn’t move forward.
This situation led to criticism of Infantino, who denied any political influence and said the disciplinary committee was independent. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin skipped the final, reportedly due to Infantino, and some European groups are already talking about challenging Infantino in the 2027 FIFA presidential election.
Still, it seems very likely Infantino will win again, as more than 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations support him.
If a new FIFA president is chosen, Trump has a new role in mind for Infantino. The New York Post says Trump wants to nominate him as the next UN secretary-general. Trump doesn’t have a close relationship with the UN, so Infantino could help improve ties between the US and the organization.
The current secretary-general is Antonio Guterres from Portugal, who can’t run again next year because of term limits. Most UN secretary-generals serve two terms, usually ten years. A source close to Trump told The Post that Trump thinks Infantino “is respected by everyone around the world” and has a special talent for bringing people together. Infantino even gave Trump the first—and somewhat controversial—FIFA Peace Prize last year.
The UN secretary-general is the main administrative officer and can raise concerns to the Security Council about anything that threatens peace and security. They must listen carefully to member states and promote UN values, even if that means disagreeing with some countries.
The UN has 193 member states, with a few places like Kosovo and Taiwan not fully recognized. The secretary-general’s base salary is about $227,000 a year, which nearly doubles with expenses, but that’s still much less than the $2.6 million plus bonuses Infantino earns as FIFA president.
If Infantino is re-elected as expected, he will stay at FIFA for at least five more years—but the prestige of the UN role might be a tempting opportunity for him.