Mondiali 2026: The Linguistic Divide Between Soccer and Football

As the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, public debate has reignited over the terminology used to describe the sport. Donald Trump recently suggested that the sport should be referred to as “football” rather than “soccer” in the United States, even proposing a rebranding of the National Football League (NFL) to accommodate the shift. While the terminology remains a recurring point of cultural friction, the origins of the word “calcio” in Italy—and “soccer” in the English-speaking world—reveal a history far older than current political discourse.

The Origins of “Soccer” and the American Context

Contrary to the popular belief that “soccer” is an American invention, the term originated in late 19th-century England. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “soccer” is a colloquialism derived from “Association Football.” In the 1880s, students at Oxford University began adding the suffix “-er” to various words; “rugger” was used for rugby, and “soccer” became the shorthand for association rules. As the sport spread globally, the United States adopted “soccer” to distinguish the game from its own indigenous version of football, which had evolved from rugby and soccer roots in the late 19th century.

The NFL, founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, solidified the American definition of the word. For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA will market the tournament as the “FIFA World Cup 2026,” largely sidestepping the domestic linguistic battle by relying on the global brand equity of the governing body. Despite the political rhetoric surrounding a potential name change for the NFL, there has been no formal movement within the league’s ownership or the NFL Players Association to alter the sport’s nomenclature.

Why Italy Uses “Calcio”

In Italy, the sport is almost exclusively referred to as calcio. This term is not a translation of “football” but a historical reference to Calcio Fiorentino, a 16th-century Florentine sport that shares some similarities with modern rugby and soccer. The word calcio stems from the Italian verb calciare, meaning “to kick.”

The adoption of the term was solidified by the Italian government during the Fascist era in the 1930s. As part of a broader push to “Italianize” foreign loanwords and purge English terminology from the national lexicon, the regime mandated the use of calcio to replace the then-common football. While other European nations like Spain (fútbol) and France (football) retained phonetically similar versions of the English word, Italy’s shift proved permanent, cementing calcio as the standard term in Italian media and daily conversation.

Impact on the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 tournament will feature 48 teams playing across 16 host cities, including New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Mexico City. FIFA’s official documentation for the event continues to use “football” in its international communications, reflecting its status as the global governing body. However, domestic American broadcasters and sponsors frequently use “soccer” to ensure clarity for a local audience that identifies “football” as the sport played on the gridiron.

Language experts note that the split is largely functional rather than ideological. In countries where the sport is the primary winter game, the term “football” is used exclusively. In countries like the U.S., Australia, and Ireland, where other forms of football exist, the term “soccer” serves as a necessary linguistic marker. FIFA has not issued any directives regarding the terminology for the 2026 tournament, allowing local organizers to use the terms most familiar to their respective fan bases.

A Global Standard?

The likelihood of a unified global term remains low. FIFA’s influence ensures that “football” remains the dominant term in international diplomacy, but local naming conventions are deeply rooted in cultural history. In Italy, calcio is tied to a lineage that predates the modern era of the sport, while in the United States, the distinction between soccer and football is woven into the fabric of the sporting calendar.

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, the focus for organizers remains on infrastructure and logistics, including the transformation of stadiums like MetLife Stadium in New Jersey—which will host the final—from gridiron surfaces to the grass pitches required by FIFA. The linguistic debate, while active in political and social spheres, has had no impact on the technical requirements or the official branding of the tournament.

The next official update regarding tournament organization is expected from the FIFA Council later this year, as they continue to finalize the match schedule and fan fest locations across the three host nations. Fans are encouraged to follow the official FIFA website for verified updates on ticketing and tournament rules.