Booking Trump: Sportswashing and the 2026 FIFA World Cup
By: Reed Zimmerman
Edited by: Alexia Sextou and Olivia Paik
The Roman term “bread and circuses” points to the premise that if a government can provide food and entertainment, then citizens will be distracted from the government’s failures and oppression. Upon the creation of modern international sporting competitions in 1896, “bread and circuses” became applicable at the global level through a practice known as “sportswashing. [1]
As defined by academic Jules Boykoff, “sportswashing” describes governments using large-scale sporting events and soft power to draw domestic and international attention away from their controversies, pursue agendas, and gain legitimacy. [2]
Thanks to soccer’s unparalleled global popularity, the FIFA World Cup is arguably the biggest target for sportswashing. Since the tournament’s 1930 inception, states ranging from Mussolini’s fascist Italy (1934) to an emir-dominated Qatar (2022) have practiced “sporstwashing” with their hosting of the World Cup. [3] However, ideas around sportswashing are shifting thanks to the United States, one of the host nations for the upcoming 2026 World Cup [4].
Relative to human rights issues, sportswashing is a practice associated with non-democratic nations. While some host nations culpable of this strand of sportswashing claim to be democracies, in practice, the opposite is often true. [5] A defining feature of most contemporary democracies is the protection of its citizens’ individual rights and autonomy, which stands in direct contrast with the authoritarian disregard and abuse of such rights.
Despite the fact that the U.S. is arguably a democracy in both theory and practice, many believe that Donald Trump and his administration’s actions regarding the World Cup can and will be classified under this strand of sportswashing. In turn, the U.S. would become the first-ever democracy to sportwash the FIFA World Cup for human-rights-related causes. [6]
The primary source of human-rights related criticisms of the U.S. are related to Trump’s immigration policy. This criticism mostly centers on the impact of ICE and their violations of human rights to act on such policy, whether that be through the use of deadly force against civilians in Minnesota by their agents, the agency’s disregard for due process, or its abusive and dehumanizing treatment of those in detention camps [7].
Outside of human rights, other criticisms of the U.S. include its military’s interventionist actions in Venezuela, Trump’s expansionist rhetoric regarding Greenland, the disregard of Trump for international climate action, and visa processing freezes imposed on various nations [8]. These issues also underscore the heightened possibility of Trump to sportswash the upcoming World Cup.
In light of such controversies, a sportswashed World Cup could hold huge ramifications for the Trump administration’s domestic and international agendas. The ritualistic nature of sporting events, especially those that pit nations against each other, are inherent breeders of nationalism [9]. In a moment of intense political and social divisions among Americans, the temporary unity caused by nationalistic fervor inherent to the World Cup will only be amplified with the U.S. as a host nation. Through sportswashing, Trump can easily weaponize and amplify the strength and duration of this temporary unity to pursue domestic policy goals with less criticism, especially those around immigration. Similarly, the hosting of the World Cup offers Trump a chance to project the image of the U.S. he wants them to see. Through sportswashing, Trump can focus international attention on the greatness of the U.S. and minimize the criticism and controversy surrounding U.S. policy in the global sphere. [10]
Despite the threat of the World Cup’s political weaponization, FIFA’s President Gianno Infantino appears to be complacent in helping Trump lay the groundwork for a successful sportswashing of the upcoming tournament [11]. For example, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the 2026 World Cup drawing in Washington D.C. in December 2025. The award’s creation and granting to Trump comes in the wake of Trump’s public complaints over not receiving the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize and works to reaffirm his legitimacy in light of this [12]. Similarly, Infantino was photographed wearing a pro-Trump red cap — with “U.S.A” on its front and “45-47” on its side — at a Board of Peace meeting in February 2026 [13].
Even if Infantino’s unparalleled proximity to Trump relative to any other world leader is correlated in ensuring the tournament’s success, Infantino’s actions make it clear that FIFA will not address the controversies of Trump’s politics in relation to international law and human rights. Rather, FIFA will continue to follow a dangerous precedent of enabling sportswashing’s occurrence for what could be three consecutive World Cups. [14]
Ultimately, the total effectiveness of any attempt by Trump to sportswash the World Cup comes down to the practice of speaking out against the Trump administration. Whether that be through players, coaches, federations, journalists, or fans, the drawing of attention toward what is happening in the U.S.–rather than away from it, as hoped for by Trump–is paramount in protecting the World Cup’s value. The global unity provided by the World Cup is unmatched by any other sporting institution, and it is the duty of all who love it to protect the tournament from becoming a political tool for reputation laundering.
Notes:
[1] Luciano Wernicke, introduction to Dark Goals: How History’s Worst Tyrants Have Used and Abused the Game of Soccer (Sutherland House: 2022), xii.
[2] Jules Boykoff, “Toward a Theory of Sportswashing: Mega-Events, Soft Power, and Political Conflict,” Sociology of Sport 39, no. 4 (2022): 342-343.
[3] Jonathan Wilson, prologue to The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup (Bold Type Books: 2025), 1-3.
[4] Karim Zidan, “How Trump Has Made the 2026 FIFA World Cup About America First,” Play the Game, www.playthegame.org/projects/trump-and-sport/how-trump-has-made-the-2026-fifa-world-cup-about-america-first/.
[5] Sarath K. Ganji, “The Rise of Sportswashing,” Journal of Democracy 34, no 2 (April 2023): 71.
[6] James Gray, “Why Trump’s ‘Sportswashing’ Push Could Blow Up in His Face–According to Experts.” iNews, July 31, 2025, inews.co.uk/sport/football/donald-trump-sportswashing-experts-3823226.
[7] “USA Migrant Crackdown: UN Human Rights Chief Decries Dehumanisation, Harmful Policies and Practices,” United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, January 23, 2026, www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/usa-migrant-crackdown-un-human-rights-chief-decries-dehumanisation-harmful.
[8] Chris Spiker, “World Cup Boycott Pressure Mounts Over Trump’s Greenland Threats, Immigration Policies,” AOL, January 20, 2026, www.aol.com/articles/world-cup-boycott-pressure-mounts-163229089.html.
[9] Sarath K. Ganji, “The Rise of Sportswashing,” Journal of Democracy 34, no 2 (April 2023): 65-67, www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-rise-of-sportswashing/.
[10] Karim Zidan, “How Trump Has Made the 2026 FIFA World Cup About America First,” Play the Game, www.playthegame.org/projects/trump-and-sport/how-trump-has-made-the-2026-fifa-world-cup-about-america-first/.
[11] Kevin Baxter, “Why is FIFA President Gianni Infantino Working So Hard to Court President Trump,” Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2025, www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2025-12-07/why-is-fifa-president-gianni-infantino-courting-president-trump.
[12] Minky Worden, “FIFA’s Sportswashing ‘Peace Prize,” Newsweek, December 10, 2025, www.newsweek.com/fifas-sportswashing-peace-prize-opinion-11188232.
[13] Seth Vertelney, “FIFA Boss Gianni Infantino Dons MAGA-Style Hat at Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting.” USA Today, February 19, 2026, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/worldcup/2026/02/19/gianni-infantino-trump-board-of-peace-maga-hat/88755552007/.
[14] Kevin Baxter, “Why is FIFA President Gianni Infantino Working So Hard to Court President Trump,” Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2025, www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2025-12-07/why-is-fifa-president-gianni-infantino-courting-president-trump.
Bibliography:
Baxter, Kevin. “Why is FIFA President Gianni Infantino Working So Hard to Court President Trump.” Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2025, www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2025-12-07/why-is-fifa-president-gianni-infantino-courting-president-trump.
Boykoff, Jules. “Toward a Theory of Sportswashing: Mega-Events, Soft Power, and Political Conflict.” Sociology of Sport, 39, no. 4 (2022): 342-351. doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2022-0095.
Ganji, Sarath K. “The Rise of Sportswashing.” Journal of Democracy 34, no 2 (April 2023):62-72. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/886933.
Gray, James. “Why Trump’s ‘Sportswashing’ Push Could Blow Up in His Face–According to Experts.” iNews, July 31, 2025, inews.co.uk/sport/football/donald-trump-sportswashing-experts-3823226.
Spiker, Chris. “World Cup Boycott Pressure Mounts Over Trump’s Greenland Threats, Immigration Policies.” AOL, January 20, 2026, www.aol.com/articles/world-cup-boycott-pressure-mounts-163229089.html.
“USA Migrant Crackdown: UN Human Rights Chief Decries Dehumanisation, Harmful Policies and Practices.” United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, January 23, 2026, www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/usa-migrant-crackdown-un-human-rights-chief-decries-dehumanisation-harmful.
Vertelney, Seth. “FIFA Boss Gianni Infantino Dons MAGA-Style Hat at Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting.” USA Today, February 19, 2026, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/worldcup/2026/02/19/gianni-infantino-trump-board-of-peace-maga-hat/88755552007/.
Wernicke, Luciano. Introduction to Dark Goals: How History’s Worst Tyrants Have Used and Abused the Game of Soccer. Sutherland House, 2022.
Wilson, Jonathan. Prologue to The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup. Bold Type Books, 2025.
Worden, Minky. “FIFA’s Sportswashing ‘Peace Prize.” Newsweek, December 10, 2025, www.newsweek.com/fifas-sportswashing-peace-prize-opinion-11188232.
Zidan, Karim. “How Trump Has Made the 2026 FIFA World Cup About America First.” Play the Game, www.playthegame.org/projects/trump-and-sport/how-trump-has-made-the-2026-fifa-world-cup-about-america-first/.