Report: Trump wants FIFA chief Infantino to lead UN

President Donald Trump wants FIFA President Gianni Infantino to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, according to a source close to the president. The unconventional choice would place the head of world soccer in contention for the organization's top diplomatic post.

Trump believes Infantino "is respected by everyone around the world, and recognizes he has a special ability to bring people together," the source told the New York Post.

The president has not publicly announced his support for Infantino or said whether the two have directly discussed the position.

Infantino, 56, did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment, and it remains unclear whether he would accept a nomination.

Trump and Infantino have strengthened their relationship through preparations for and staging of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Infantino appeared with Trump during the tournament and previously presented him with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw in Washington last December, according to FIFA.

Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and announced in May that he plans to seek another term in 2027.

Paolo Zampolli, Trump's special envoy for global partnerships and a friend of Infantino, praised the president's reported proposal.

"Only President Trump could have such a genius idea," Zampolli told the Post.

Zampolli said Infantino "would do a great job" and is "liked by everybody."

"There is some similarity" between the positions, Zampolli said. "At the United Nations, you have to deal with 193 member states. In FIFA, there are over 200 members [and] Gianni's great record shows he knows how to manage."

Zampolli said he spent time with Infantino at the World Cup final in New Jersey but did not discuss the U.N. position with him.

The next secretary-general will succeed Antonio Guterres, whose second five-year term expires Dec. 31.

Under the U.N. selection process, a candidate must be nominated by at least one member state and receive a recommendation from the 15-member Security Council before appointment by the 193-member General Assembly.

Any of the Security Council's five permanent members, the United States, China, Russia, Britain, and France, can veto a candidate.

The next secretary-general is scheduled to take office in January 2027 and serve a renewable five-year term.

The declared candidates include former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; Rafael Grossi of Argentina, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency; former Senegalese President Macky Sall, former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, and Argentine diplomat Virginia Gamba.

No woman has served as U.N. secretary-general, and member states have been encouraged to strongly consider female candidates.

There is no formal regional rotation requirement, although Latin American and Caribbean nations have argued that their region should provide Guterres's successor.

Infantino, who was born in Switzerland and also holds Italian citizenship, would represent a sharp departure from those expectations.