Donald Trump used his moment at the FIFA World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. on Friday to float a wild idea: rebranding American football so soccer can officially be called “football” in the United States.
“We seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football,” Trump said while accepting FIFA’s first-ever Peace Prize. “But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called, I mean, this is football, there’s no question about it. We need to come up with another name for the NFL stuff.”
The FIFA Peace Prize was awarded to Trump for his “unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity,” according to FIFA officials. The decision drew criticism from soccer insiders who questioned the timing and relevance of the award.
Earlier this year, Trump created a World Cup task force for the 2026 tournament, appointing himself as chairman and naming Vice President JD Vance as vice chair.
Andrew Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani’s son, was tapped as executive director and is now managing daily operations for the event.
The president’s remarks came during what many described as an off-topic interlude during the official draw ceremony. The San Francisco Chronicle labeled the speech a “10-minute infomercial,” accusing Trump of hijacking the event for personal promotion.
His suggestion would mean rewriting more than a century of American sports culture.
The term “football” in the U.S. dates back to the 1870s when Yale coach Walter Camp adapted rugby rules to create a new game. It was dubbed “football” because of its rugby roots, not because of how much the ball is kicked.
Meanwhile, “soccer” comes from “Association Football,” a term coined in England in the 19th century. While the British eventually dropped the word, Americans kept it.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the final match scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.