Trump says soccer is 'real football' while shading NFL

U.S. President Donald Trump doesn’t consider the National Football League as “real football.”

Rather, he believes soccer is the real deal.

Speaking at the 2026 World Cup draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Trump wondered out loud whether the sport North Americans call soccer is really what Europeans have been calling it — football.

He thinks the NFL should be renamed instead.

Yes, Mr President @realDonaldTrump ! Bravo! https://t.co/wPeCoEOZCP — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 5, 2025

“ They’ve thought soccer, or football, would be so big, so fast,” said Trump, before going off on a tangent about soccer legend Pelé.

“ And I remember, I shouldn’t say this because it was a long time ago, but I remember watching Pelé play