The FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage draw had plenty of A-list celebrities. Given the fact that the tournament will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, all three presidents where there too. During the event, President Donald Trump had an iconic phrase while sending a little jab to the NFL.
“It’s again ‘soccer’ in the United States, we seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football. But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called… I mean, this is football, there’s no question about it. We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff. It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”
In the rest of the world, “football” is soccer, not the NFL. Now, it’s up to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to put his huge PR team to work to change the name of the sport, right? Of course, it’s all a joke. Still, President Trump saying that is something many people think, he was just the one that voiced it.
The NFL has leverage though
Luckily for the NFL, even if soccer is the bigger and more popular sport worldwide, the NFL is the most popular league in the United States by far. Hence, the organization is safe and sound and surely won’t rename itself.
When you see that any primetime game in the NFL duplicates (or more) an NBA Finals game, it’s clear the power the NFL has is just too big. Goodell might be a controversial figure, but the business side of the league is growing very proficiently.
What happened to the United States team the last time it hosted a World Cup?
The last time the United States hosted a World Cup was in 1994. Yes, it was still called soccer. They ended third in Group A below Romania and Switzerland. Still, they advanced to the knockout stage as the third-best third place of the group stage.
However, they ended up facing eventual champions Brazil in the Round of 16, where the United States lost 0-1 thanks to a Bebeto goal. Still, it was overall a great performance for the home team.