"Soccer or Football? Trump Joins the Century-Old Debate That Even Son Heungmin Questioned"

At FIFA World Cup Draw, Trump Says "NFL Should Find a New Name"
Spotlight Returns to Unique U.S. "Soccer" Culture... British Slang Origins Revisited

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again reignited the debate over the terms "soccer" and "football" on the international soccer stage. He made remarks challenging the existing terminology, arguing that the United States, like most countries around the world, should also call the sport "football."

At a press conference held at the White House in Washington DC, U.S. President Donald Trump is speaking in the briefing room. Photo by UPI

On December 5 (local time), President Trump took the stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, after being introduced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. President Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, praising him by saying, "The football community trusts the President's leadership." In response, President Trump brought up the issue of terminology confusion in the United States.

He said, "In the United States, another sport (American football) already dominates under the name 'football,' so we don't call soccer by that name." He continued, "But if you think about it, it's actually soccer that should have the name 'football,' and maybe the NFL should find a new name." The audience responded with laughter and applause, and President Infantino also welcomed the comment.

President Trump made similar remarks earlier this year at the Club World Cup. When an online broadcast host asked if he could issue an executive order to officially change the term "soccer," he joked with a smile, "Maybe I could. If I wanted to, I could do it." While the question was a satirical reference to the controversy over the use of executive orders in the United States, President Trump took it lightly and responded with humor.

In a few English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the sport is called "soccer," but in most countries, "football" is the standard term. In particular, in the United States, the overwhelming popularity of American football (NFL) has effectively monopolized the term "football." At the draw ceremony, the presence of NFL legend Tom Brady further highlighted America's unique cultural relationship with the term "football."

However, some analyses suggest that the origin of the term "soccer" is not American, but British. In the late 19th century, when the rules of association football were established in Britain, "soccer" was a college slang abbreviation for "association football," just as "rugger" was used for "rugby football." Over time, "football" became the mainstream term in Britain, and "soccer" faded away. In contrast, academic explanations note that the term "soccer" remained in the United States, partly due to the presence of U.S. military personnel. In his book, University of Michigan professor Stefan Szymanski wrote, "As American football developed independently and claimed the name 'football,' the British slang term 'soccer' persisted for the other sport."

After joining Major League Soccer's LA FC last summer, player Son Heungmin joked, "I'm not sure whether to call it soccer or football here," highlighting the ongoing debate and longstanding cultural conflict over the name of the sport in the United States, where American football holds such a dominant position.