Trump Suggests Russia’s World Cup Return Could Help End Ukraine War

Edition: Widad WAHBI

U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea that allowing Russia to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup,set to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, might serve as a catalyst to end the war in Ukraine, ongoing since 2022.

According to the Associated Press, the Russian national football team has been banned from international competitions organized by FIFA and UEFA since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. While Trump had previously promised on the campaign trail that he would end the conflict on his first day in office if re-elected in November 2024, he has since moderated those remarks.

Under current rules, Russia is excluded from the 2026 World Cup, with qualifiers having begun in September 2023. The tournament will feature 45 slots, in addition to the three automatically assigned to the host nations.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of his administration’s task force on the 2026 World Cup, Trump, seated next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, appeared surprised to learn of Russia’s exclusion.
“I didn’t know that. Is that true?” Trump asked.
Infantino confirmed, “Yes, they’re currently banned from playing. But we hope something changes, and that peace will prevail so Russia can return to the federation.”

Trump added, “That’s possible. Hey, maybe that’s a good incentive, right? We want to push them to stop. We want them to stop. Five thousand young people are killed each week — it’s unbelievable.” He further emphasized that Infantino was “the leader” on decisions regarding Russia’s participation, adding that he personally had “nothing to do” with any potential invitation to reintegrate Russia into FIFA.