FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the 2026 World Cup as the biggest event ever. He gave credit for its success to former US President Donald Trump and said that without him it would not have been possible.
new york [USA]July 18 (ANI): FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday described the FIFA World Cup 2026 as a tournament that has “exceeded all expectations.” He mentioned packed stadiums, millions of fans in the three host countries and billions of spectators around the world. Infantino also thanked US President Donald Trump and said that without him this World Cup would not have been possible.
Addressing an official FIFA reception at Trump Tower ahead of the final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday (local time), Infantino said the World Cup had exceeded all expectations. He cited packed stadiums in the US, Canada and Mexico, millions of fans and billions of viewers around the world. He thanked US President Donald Trump for his help in welcoming the world and said the tournament united people with peace, happiness and joy through football, turning the “American Dream” into reality.
World Cup broke all expectations
He said, “When we first met in 2018, Mr. President, I promised you that we would organize a spectacular World Cup. And in every way, this World Cup has exceeded all expectations. Entire stadiums were packed, 70 lakh people in the stadiums, crores of people in cities across the US, Canada and Mexico. Billions of people in front of their TVs. Everyone was enjoying the game with joy, glee and peace.”
He continued, “And the American Dream, Mr. President, became a reality. We united the world. We united the world in America. When I told you we would have a wonderful World Cup, you told me America would welcome the world. And you welcomed the world. Everyone who came here enjoyed it, those who stayed at home also enjoyed it, seeing these beautiful host cities, incredible pictures of fans from all over the world coming together with peace, joy and jubilation Come, Mr. President, because, I don’t know if you know, but the official definition of FIFA is that we, FIFA, have been officially providing happiness to humanity for the last 120 years. So we have been providing happiness and joy.”
Gave credit for success to Trump and his administration
Infantino credited US President Donald Trump and his administration for the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying their support helped create a safe and welcoming environment. He described the tournament as not only the biggest FIFA World Cup ever, but also the biggest humanitarian, social and cultural event in history.
Infantino said, “And all of this, of course, would not have been possible. I say this because it’s true, you don’t need people to praise you, Mr. President, but this World Cup could not have been so incredibly successful without you. Your administration, every single person in the White House, in the administration, in the cities, in the states, everywhere contributed to creating this safe and joyful environment that the world has never seen before. This is just the greatest World Cup ever. It has not been and is not the greatest human, social and cultural phenomenon that mankind has ever seen. And for that, I thank you very much.”
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