Soccer or football? Trump weighs in, again

US President Donald Trump has offered conflicting views on whether the world’s most popular sport should be called “football” or “soccer”, reviving a long-running debate ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In a recent remark, Trump said he preferred using the term “soccer” in the United States because of the country’s association with American football.

“I call it soccer,” Trump said. “It’s just easier to do, because we have football and they have two footballs.”

The comment contrasted with an earlier statement Trump made during a FIFA World Cup event, where he argued the sport should instead be called “football”.

“When you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called football? This is football, there’s no question about it,” Trump said at the time.

He also joked that the National Football League (NFL) might need to adopt a different name if the United States were to follow the terminology commonly used across much of the world.

Outside the United States, the sport is widely referred to as football, while “American football” is used to distinguish the NFL and related competitions. The term “soccer” remains dominant in the US, where the NFL continues to be the country’s most popular sports league.

Trump’s remarks come as FIFA intensifies preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.