President Donald Trump Wants USA to Start Referring to Soccer as Football Like Rest of the World
US President Donald Trump should start thinking about calling “soccer” by its global name.
Follow Us
Patrick Mahomes, Lionel Messi and Donald Trump (Image via IMAGO/X)
On the day the USMNT kicked off its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, an old video of US President Donald Trump resurfaced on Twitter. In the clip, Trump is saying the US should start thinking about calling “soccer” by its global name.
On December 5, 2025, FIFA organized the draw for the 2026 World Cup. Trump was the special guest at the event. That’s when he stated that the US should consider calling the sport “football” as most of the world does. Donald Trump stated:
When you look at what’s happened to football in the United States, [soccer] in the United States. We seem to never call it that [football] because we have a conflict with anothepr thing that’s called football. But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called? This is football, there is no question about it. We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff.
Oh Boy: President Donald Trump wants the NFL to change its name so that soccer is the only sport named football.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 13, 2026
"This is football, there is no question about it. We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff."
😬😬😬 pic.twitter.com/hX1Adp2oyh
It’s rare for a head of state to talk about a polarizing subject on a big stage. Then again, Trump is infamous for making similar statements in the past.
Why do Americans say “soccer” and not “football”
There’s a common misconception that the word “soccer” is an American invention. In reality, soccer originated in England.
Around the back end of the 19th century, “association football” was used to distinguish the sport from rugby football. Students at British Universities shortened “association” to “assoc” and added “er” at the end to create soccer.
A different sport had already gained popularity as “football” across America. So, to avoid confusion, they adopted the name soccer.
How did the USMNT perform in its opening game against Paraguay?
The US Men’s national team is in Group D, along with Australia, Turkey, and Paraguay. In their first game, the US faced off against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, June 12.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team took the lead through an own goal from Paraguay’s Damian Bobadilla at the 7th minute. Twenty-four minutes later, striker Folarin Balogun scored the US’s first official goal at the World Cup.
Balogun, born in Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of the Arsenal academy, doubled his tally right before halftime. Mauricio pulled one goal back for Paraguay at the 73rd minute.
— Balogun (@balogun) June 13, 2026
Pochettino sent highly regarded midfielder Giovanni Reyna late in the second half. Reyna, who plays in the German Bundesliga, scored the final goal in the 98th minute. The USA won 4-1 and sits at the top of the group.
On Saturday, June 13, the other two teams in the group, Australia and Turkey, clashed at BC Stadium in Vancouver, Canada. Nestory Irankunda opened the scoring for the Socceroos in the 27th minute. German club, FC St. Pauli midfielder, Connor Metcalfe scored the second in the 73rd minute. Australia won the game 2-0.
USA and Australia on 🔝#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 14, 2026
Australia takes on the USA at Seattle Stadium in their next game, while Turkey plays Paraguay at San Francisco Stadium in Santa Clara.
Also Read:
Ishan Misra
(5262 Articles Published)