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Leonardo Panicacci

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Article text courtesy of nytimes.com ([url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/world/europe/world-cup-infantino-trump.html?searchResultPosition=1]https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/world/europe/world-cup-infantino-trump.html?searchResultPosition=1[/url])

A Yearslong Effort to Woo Trump Culminates With the World Cup

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has unabashedly courted the president’s favor. Soccer officials privately ask, who really benefits?

FIFA officials are clear about what they want from the World Cup. They want a higher profile in the United States and more growth in the world’s biggest consumer market. They also want to shed the reputation for corruption and cartoonish excess that led to Justice Department prosecutions.

Mr. Infantino failed to woo the Biden administration, former government officials said. But he found a receptive ear in Mr. Trump, who calls him “the king of soccer.” A decade ago, soccer executives were terrified to travel to the United States, fearing they’d be arrested. Now, Mr. Infantino is an Oval Office regular.