Opinion: A World Cup event and another gathering at the court of King Donald

The Village People will be there on Friday to play YMCA, a favourite of U.S. President Donald Trump. It’s not a coincidence.

The event is the draw for next year’s FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney will be there. Delegations from around the world will be there to mark the run-up to the world’s biggest sports event. And to pay a visit to the court of King Donald.

One of the courtiers is FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has made sucking up to the U.S. President a core business. The head of the global soccer federation moved to Florida, made regular visits to Mar-a-Lago, and opened a FIFA New York office in Trump Tower.

World Cup draw in Washington is one more play in Trump and FIFA’s long game of politics

In October, when Mr. Trump invited world leaders to a Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Mr. Infantino was there, too, invited though it was absurdly unrelated to soccer, and he posted a two-minute video to Instagram to show he is an influencer.

It is worth watching Friday to see if Mr. Infantino steps up to a new level of obsequious cringe.

Mr. Trump spent much of 2025 in an unsubtle campaign to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. When he didn’t get it, White House communications director Steven Cheung complained the Nobel committee “proved they place politics over peace.”

Then FIFA announced it would create its own FIFA Peace Prize. The suspicion is it will be handed to Mr. Trump.

That’s not confirmed. Mr. Infantino told reporters to wait and see. Human Rights Watch asked FIFA for the nominees, judges and criteria, but didn’t get an answer.

That’s FIFA-style transparency. The beautiful game is governed by an international organization with an ugly history marked by elitism and corruption. Who better to pick the winner of a global prize?

Whether it goes to Mr. Trump or not, the event itself will be a symbol of the way global politics work now. The draw is usually a fun day when soccer fans learn if their country will get an easy path or a group of death (Canada, as co-host, should get the former). But this time it will be an event built for Mr. Trump, with celebrities and sycophancy.

Mr. Carney will have a brief meeting with Mr. Trump at the Kennedy Center, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. He is presumably hoping to sneak in word about trade and tariffs while the President is in a good mood. Fingers crossed for that peace prize! The PM will also meet Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is reportedly going to meet Mr. Trump for the first time.

They have to go for their national interests. Canada and Mexico are co-hosts of next year’s World Cup but there’s also Mr. Trump. The draw will be held at the Kennedy Center, now chaired by Mr. Trump, and every event has to be about him. Maybe someone should bring him a trophy.

That’s what FIFA did this past summer. Mr. Trump presented the trophy to the winning team of the Club World Cup, Chelsea, but didn’t leave the dais while players celebrated, and the trophy was later spotted amid the gold and baubles at the White House. FIFA made a copy for Mr. Trump.

So much goes into getting access. Switzerland sent CEOs who gave Mr. Trump a gold Rolex clock and a gold bar engraved with “45” and “47” – he is the 45th and 47th president – to pave the way for a tariffs deal.

Qatar gave the U.S. a luxury Boeing 747 to be used as the next Air Force One. (As it happens, Mr. Infantino often flies around in a private jet borrowed from Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup.) Saudi Arabia was sharp: Saudi companies kept business ties with the Trump Organization after he left the White House in 2021, and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour held tournaments at his courses.

When the President hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman in November, Mr. Trump scolded a reporter for asking about the CIA’s conclusion that the Crown Prince had ordered the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The state dinner that evening was attended by Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, the most followed individual on Instagram, who now plays in Saudi Arabia, and Mr. Infantino.

Ethan Radcliffe

Ethan Radcliffe is a senior reporter and digital editor at The Toronto Insider, specializing in Canadian federal policy, GTA urban development, and national economic trends. With over a decade of experience in North American journalism, Ethan focuses on translating complex legislative and economic developments into clear, accessible reporting for Canadian readers. Ethan’s work emphasizes policy analysis, government accountability, and data-driven reporting, with a strong focus on how federal and provincial decisions impact communities across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. He has covered infrastructure planning, housing policy, fiscal strategy, and regulatory changes affecting Canadian households and businesses. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism, Ethan brings expertise in investigative reporting, long-form analysis, editorial standards, and digital publishing best practices. His reporting is guided by verifiable sources, public records, and transparent sourcing. In addition to reporting, Ethan has experience in newsroom editing, fact-checking workflows, SEO-informed journalism, and audience analytics, ensuring stories meet both editorial integrity standards and modern digital discoverability requirements. Ethan is committed to objective, fact-driven journalism and adheres to established ethical guidelines, prioritizing accuracy, clarity, and public trust in all reporting.

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