As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway across North America, President Donald Trump has revived a long-standing debate: which sport should truly be called “football” in the United States.
Trump first addressed the issue publicly during the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 5, 2025. The occasion prompted him to address the naming conflict between American football and soccer that has divided the United States from the rest of the world for over a century.
Jun 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; United States President Donald Trump looks on before game three of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The clip resurfaced this week and was shared widely after NFL insider Dov Kleiman posted it, drawing fresh attention as the World Cup prepares to open. Trump’s statement targeted the NFL directly, arguing the naming situation made no logical sense given how the rest of the world identifies the sport. The post reached 600,000 views and 1,700 likes within hours of circulating again.
Trump stated clearly: “This is football, there is no question about it. We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff. It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.” It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.” NBC Sports reported the full statement immediately after Trump’s Kennedy Center appearance.
Trump later suggested he could use executive action to officially rename soccer as “football” in the United States. He believes the change “could be made very easily.” He has already used executive authority to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and has pressed private mapmakers to follow suit.
The NFL has used its current name since 1922 and is deeply rooted in American sports culture, long before soccer became widely popular in the U.S. The U.S. national governing body for soccer was known as the United States Soccer Football Association until 1974, when it dropped “football” from its title to avoid the same confusion Trump is now describing. Major League Soccer launched in 1993 and began play in 1996.
Why Trump Is Pushing for an NFL Name Change
Trump’s argument would have carried little weight two decades ago. Soccer was a fringe sport in the United States before the 2026 World Cup bid changed the country’s investment in the game. The NFL remains the dominant American sports league by every revenue and viewership metric. The 2025 season averaged 18.6 million viewers per game across all broadcast windows. Renaming it to resolve a word conflict with soccer would be unprecedented in the history of professional sports organization naming.
The NFL has not issued any public response to Trump’s comments. The league’s relationship with the current administration has been complicated over multiple election cycles, particularly around anthem protests and player activism. A formal name change would require unanimous owner approval and would affect billions of dollars in branding, media rights contracts, and trademark registrations built around the National Football League name since 1922.
The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 across North America, with the United States hosting the final. Trump’s comments reflect his administration’s broader investment in establishing soccer as a major American sport ahead of the tournament. Whether the NFL ever considers any name change – or responds at all – remains highly uncertain. The league has not indicated any interest in the idea.
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