United States president Donald Trump said reinstating Russia into world football could be a “good incentive” for them to agree a peace deal with Ukraine.
Russia have been banned from FIFA and UEFA since February 2022, when they invaded Ukraine.
Qualification in Europe for the 2026 World Cup finals in the US, Canada and Mexico is already under way which would almost certainly appear to rule out any possibility of Russia featuring at those finals.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, sat alongside Trump at a 2026 World Cup taskforce meeting at the White House on Tuesday, said: “We hope that something happens and peace will happen so that Russia can be readmitted.”
Donald Trump, President of the United States, hosted the first @WHTaskForceFIFA meeting today, set up to oversee preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and FIFA World Cup 26™, and confirmed that it will “help plan the biggest, safest and most extraordinary soccer… pic.twitter.com/x053uM6i40
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) May 7, 2025
Trump replied: “That’s possible. Hey, that could be a good incentive, right?
“We want to get them to stop. We want them to stop. Five thousand young people a week are being killed – it’s not even believable.”
Trump insisted any decision over Russia’s reinstatement was FIFA’s to make, describing Infantino as “the boss”.
Trump said the 2026 finals would be an “unprecedented success”.
“This is going to blow every other tournament you (FIFA) did (away). You’re going to say how terrible a job you did in the past because this is so much better Gianni,” he said.
“This is going to blow them all away.”
