‘It doesn’t make sense’: Trump wants to rename American football
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(From left) FIFA president Gianni Infantino, US President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney taking part in the World Cup 2026 draw on Dec 5 in Washington.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Trump suggests renaming American football due to the growing popularity of "true" football (soccer) spurred by the 2026 World Cup.
- He believes using "football" for a sport primarily played with hands "doesn't make sense" given global usage of the term.
- Infantino highlighted the 2026 World Cup's potential US impact, equating it to "104 Super Bowls," emphasising soccer's rising appeal.
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WASHINGTON - Spurred on by World Cup 2026 fever, US President Donald Trump said Dec 5 that American football should be renamed as the game played with a round ball, soccer, was the one true football.
“We have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football but when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called... football, there is no question. We have to come up with another name for the NFL (National Football League),” Trump said at the World Cup draw.
“It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”
For Americans, the word “football” refers to American football, a sport primarily played with the hands – completely different from what the rest of the world calls football.
Almost the entire country tunes in each year to the NFL championship final, the Super Bowl, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino made sure on Dec 5 to emphasise to Americans that the 2026 World Cup would be the equivalent of 104 Super Bowls.
An all-round sports enthusiast, Trump has developed a particular affection for soccer that continues to grow as the 2026 World Cup, which will take place next summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, approaches. AFP
