President Donald Trump says it “doesn’t make sense” that the United States is out of step with the rest of the world on what it calls football, arguing that the National Football League should find a new name so the sport Americans call soccer can claim the “football” title.
Speaking at the 2026 World Cup draw events in Washington, D.C., Trump told an audience of FIFA officials, dignitaries and fans that the game played with a round ball and mostly with the feet is “really football” and should be labeled that way in the United States as well. He said the current situation, where “football” refers to the NFL’s gridiron game, creates a “conflict” and leaves the country out of step with global usage.
Trump went further, saying the NFL “stuff” needs another name if the U.S. is to fall in line with the rest of the world on terminology. His remarks drew applause from many soccer supporters at the event, who saw the comments as symbolic recognition of the sport’s rapid growth in the American market ahead of the 2026 tournament.
The president’s comments also immediately stirred backlash and banter among traditional American football fans, who consider the NFL a cultural institution and bristled at the idea of rebranding the country’s most popular sport. Sports commentators quickly picked up the story, with some treating it as a light‑hearted World Cup‑season joke and others warning that changing the language around “football” could ignite a broader cultural fight over identity, tradition and the business of sports in the U.S.
Trump’s intervention comes as soccer participation and viewership continue to climb in the United States and as the country prepares, alongside Canada and Mexico, to host the expanded 2026 World Cup. Whether his call to “come up with another name for the NFL” gains any traction remains unclear, but it has ensured that the old argument over what counts as “real football” is once again front‑page news on both sides of the Atlantic.
