The fever for World Cup 2026 It is already beginning to be felt powerfully in USA. The planetary contest, which will have the North American giant as its main venue along with Canada y Mexicohas aroused strong interest in the population and, above all, in the figure of Donald Trump.
And the American president has been one of the main faces when it comes to promoting the most important soccer event in the world. Next to Gianni Infantinothe president has tried to position his country as an exemplary organizer. In fact, during the last America’s Cup and the first Club World Cup of 32 teams, the North American helmsman and the one from the FIFA working side by side.
This bond even extended during the draw for the group stage of the World Cup. There, Infantino awarded Trump with an unprecedented FIFA Peace Prize, which surprised all attendees at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
In that sense, as a result of the prominence that the US president is taking in the world of football, a new disruptive change is being considered to enhance the competition that will take place between June 11 and July 19 of next year.
In Trump’s own words, is considering changing the name of the NFL (National Football League) by 2026. The reason? The confusion that exists in the United States with the terms ‘soccer’ and ‘football’.
In more concrete terms, the Republican helmsman has suggested modifying the nomenclature of the most popular sport in the country of the stars and stripes. “If we look at what has happened with soccer in the United States, which is soccer in the United States, it seems that we never call it soccer because We have a small conflict with something else that is also called American football.. But if you think about it, shouldn’t football really be called one thing? This is football, there is no doubt. We have to think of another name for the NFL. It really doesn’t make sense if you think about it.“, said.
The truth is that the mandatory’s reflection has a favorable point of view, since In American football the foot is rarely used to throw the ball. Rather, the hand is used most of the time, by a quarterback guiding throws to his receivers. The kick only appears for the opening whistle, field goals, or punts.
However, the change is not as simple as Trump proposes. This is due to the power of American football in social and economic terms in the United States. Specifically, the NFL is the sports competition that moves the most money. Only in the last season, 2024-2025, it had a turnover of 13,840 million dollars (11,786 million euros). The American Football League distributed 432.6 million dollars (368.3 million euros) to each of the 32 franchises7.5% more than last year, according to Sports Business Journal.
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