FIFA goes MAGA? The World Cup, Trump and the future of football
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As 2025 draws to a close, all year long one question has dogged the most plugged-in of football fanatics: what's up with Gianni Infantino? Why all the cameos by the head of an international sports body at the US president's inauguration, a Middle East peace signing and another for DR Congo and Rwanda?
Read moreUS President Donald Trump named first winner of FIFA Peace Prize
Why create a peace prize for the said leader of the host nation of next summer's World Cup final? Is it the initiative of one man who runs in the same circles as Trump's Gulf monarchy counterparts, or is FIFA collectively panicked about keeping the United States onside as it weighs tighter visa restrictions on foreigners?
Read moreTravel bans, border tensions, ICE raids: Trump’s impact on World Cup plans
If World Cup organisers fear foreign fans might stay away, they're certainly hiding it. Just look at their ticket pricing. Do they know this is soccer, not polo? Will fans from Haiti or Curaçao pay thousands of dollars per match?
Whatever happens, the show will go on despite the expansion to 48 teams and commercial break-friendly water stoppages. That begs the broader question: is the sky the limit, or is there a point at which greed kills football's golden goose?
