Donald Trump’s relationship with Gianni Infantino has already overshadowed one World Cup and is threatening to spill over into 2030.
The U.S. President personally intervened to successfully get Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-game suspension overturned so that he could lead the line against Belgium.
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Debate is still raging over the decision even with the USMNT and Belgium already knocked out, with former World Cup ref Jonas Eriksson and England icon Gary Lineker among the names calling for Infantino to be ousted as FIFA boss.
Now eyes are turning to the battle to host the final of the 2030 tournament — a three continent, six country logistical nightmare that could feature 64 teams.
Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will host early matches, before the tournament heads to Portugal, Spain and Morocco — the latter two are both hoping to host the final.
That is where Trump, who has enjoyed close ties with Infantino since 2021 at least, could come in amid diplomatic tension with Spain.
The FIFA president has moved part of its operations to Trump Tower in New York and has also presented the Commander in Chief a ceremonial red card and debateable Peace Prize.
Morocco and Spain set for 2030 World Cup final battle with Trump looming large
Real Madrid’s renovated Santiago Bernabéu was the clear favorite for the showpiece, with Camp Nou and the Hassan II Stadium — currently under construction in Morocco — in the running.
Morocco — controversially awarded a second AFCON title in the courtroom in March — has increasing influence, however.
Spanish website The Objective reports that King Mohammed VI has launched a lobbying campaign, with Morocco’s ambassador to the United States Youssef Amrani and Football Federation president, Fouzi Lekjaa among the figureheads.
Federations in Africa, Asia, North America, and Oceania, could support the bid and Trump’s administration is a powerful potential ally.
Trump recently endorsed Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara — a contentious political dispute — and has been criticized by the Spanish government over his handling of Iran and Palestine.
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In response, the President threatened to cut ties with Spain — a key NATO partner.
As a result, Spanish sports radio program El Partidazo de COPE claims that football bosses are increasingly wary of Trump’s influence ahead of the 2030 World Cup.
According to Spanish news outlet Infobae, Juanma Castaño, director of El Partidazo de COPE, claimed that Trump was allegedly exerting pressure in favor of Morocco hosting the final because of the kingdom’s close ties with the United States.
However, so far there have been no official comments from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Furthermore, neither FIFA nor the White House has publicly commented on the claim, and there is currently no evidence to substantiate it.
UEFA stands up to Gianni Infantino
Infantino has faced increasing calls to stand down and is on collision course with European football’s governing body, UEFA.
“Well, I think there’s a need for not only one country or two countries or three countries to have different opinions,” former ref Eriksson told eSPORTY. “I think a whole continent, a whole confederation needs to get together, such as Europe, UEFA.
“I think you could see that now on a daily basis, that whenever FIFA says something goes in one direction, they go left, UEFA goes right. Whether it’s covering the mouth, FIFA says red card, UEFA says yellow card. If Omar Ardhan is not being accepted into the US, he’s being sent home, he’s being appointed by UEFA to the Super Cup final.
“You could see these small, small gestures and small, small incidents that happen. And I think that if one country would go against FIFA or two countries, they would be, in a way, punished. You would see that politically, that they will have a tough time.
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“But if one continent, a strong continent such as UEFA, will be united, I think they have to accept that we’ve come to the end of the road. This is not good for football, this is not good for the sport, for the integrity of the sport. It’s absolutely unacceptable as well.”
That punishment could well include taking a World Cup final from a UEFA nation.
64 teams on menu for World Cup 2030
Infantino, however, seems undeterred and looks set to push ahead with another expansion having already gone from 32 to 48 teams.
Some believe a potential 64-team tournament could ruin the World Cup forever.
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino told Bluewin.
“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world — not just Europe and South America — but effectively the entire world.
“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high — and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.
“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”
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