Donald Trump claims football World Cup could end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Donald Trump has sensationally claimed that the football World Cup in 2026 could help end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and shut down the war.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 over the ex-Soviet nation’s growing defence ties with NATO, with Russian president Vladimir Putin viewing the Western alliance as a threat to his own country’s security.

But Ukraine, who gained independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved, is not a NATO member and Russia’s invasion – the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II – has been widely condemned.

More than three years have passed since Russia’s invasion and the two nations are still fighting but Trump vowed to bring peace on ‘day one’ of his second term as USA president, with the American elected in November.

Trump has held several rounds of talks with Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy but has been so far unable to help end the war – although he now believes the football World Cup could play a major role.

The United States are hosting the World Cup next year along with Canada and Mexico but Russia are currently banned by both FIFA and UEFA from participating in international competitions due to their invasion of Ukraine.

Trump has now said that reinstating Russia for the tournament could help end the war in Ukraine, feeling that it ‘could be a good incentive’ for Putin.

Donald Trump makes World Cup blunder

Trump confused the FIFA Club World Cup with the FIFA World Cup in March, with the United States hosting both football tournaments.

The American president did not grasp that they were separate events, with the former contested by football clubs around the world and the latter an international competition between various countries.

‘I thought you should see this trophy as it’s the biggest sporting event in the world and we have it here,’ Trump said about the new Club World Cup trophy, confusing it with the world-famous World Cup trophy.

Speaking at the first meeting of his administration’s 2026 World Cup taskforce, Trump was unaware Russia were banned from participating.

‘I didn’t know that. Is that right?’ Trump asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was sat next to him.

Infantino said: ‘That is right. They are banned for the time being from playing but we hope that something happens and peace will happen so that Russia can be readmitted.’

Will Gianni Infantino bring Russia back into the fold?

FIFA president Infantino, speaking in March, said: ‘As talks are going on for peace in Ukraine, I hope we can soon move to the next stage and bring back Russia in the football landscape.

‘Because this would mean everything is solved. That is what we have to cheer for, that is what we have to pray for, because that is what football is about.’

Trump said: ‘That’s possible. Hey, that could be a good incentive, right?

‘We want to get them to stop. We want them to stop. Five thousand young people a week are being killed – it’s not even believable.’

Trump then admitted he had ‘nothing to do’ with reinstating Russia and declared that Infantino was ‘the boss’ over making any kind of decision.

Which football team does Vladimir Putin support?

Putin is a fan of Zenit St Petersburg and has previously criticised the Russian club for having a high number of ‘foreign’ players.

‘You’ve got eight foreigners running across the pitch, playing for Zenit in the Europa League, well done,’ Putin said during the 2017-18 season.

‘And two Russian citizens; and the goalkeeper – that’s three. It’s very interesting.’

European nations began their World Cup qualifying campaigns two months ago and the process is due to conclude in March next year.

It would therefore require an unprecedented and unlikely intervention from FIFA to accommodate Russia at the 2026 tournament.

The World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world, with more than five billion people watching the tournament in some capacity in 2022.

Russia hosted the World Cup in 2018 and Putin is known to be a football fan, supporting his local club Zenit St Petersburg.

FIFA allowed Russia to host that World Cup despite their annexation of Crimea in 2014, the precursor to their current invasion of Ukraine.