Trump reignites long-running ‘football vs soccer’ debate ahead of 2026 world cup

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Fresh from receiving the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize ahead of last week’s 2026 World Cup draw, Donald Trump has publicly waded into the long-standing argument over whether the sport should be called “football” or “soccer” in the United States. The US president argued that Americans should abandon the term “soccer” and align with the rest of the world in referring to the sport simply as football.

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“When you look at what has happened to the sport, which we call soccer in the US, we never call it that because we have another conflict with a thing called football,” he said. “But when you think about it, this is football, without question. We ought to come up with another name for the other one. It really does not make sense when you think about it.”

Trump’s reference to “the other one” was aimed at the National Football League (NFL), the country’s premier American football organisation— a game that, structurally and stylistically, bears more resemblance to rugby than to association football.

The term “soccer” became common in the US as gridiron football surged in popularity during the 20th century. The national governing body was known as the United States Soccer Football Association until 1974, when it rebranded as the United States Soccer Federation to avoid confusion with American football. The NFL has retained its name since 1922.

The football-versus-soccer terminology dispute has long divided fans. While most of the world calls the sport football, Americans have firmly held on to the word soccer. Nonetheless, Trump’s remarks—despite their potential for controversy—were met with an unexpectedly warm reception on social media, where many users suggested he had a valid point.

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By contrast, the decision by FIFA to award Trump the first Peace Prize drew widespread criticism online, with comments describing the move as “embarrassing” and accusing officials of indulging the president. The 2026 World Cup is due to take place from 11 June to 19 July, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.