Trump wants Infantino to lead the United Nations: an idea that would reshape the race for secretary-general
U.S. President Donald Trump wants FIFA President Gianni Infantino to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, the New York Post reported on July 21, 2026, citing a source close to the president. According to the report, Trump believes that Infantino is internationally respected and possesses a rare ability to bring together countries, institutions and people with different political interests. However, this is currently only an intention reported by the media, not an official candidacy: as of July 22, the White House and FIFA had not publicly confirmed that a nomination process had been initiated. It is also unknown whether Trump has discussed the possibility directly with Infantino or whether the head of world football would be willing to leave the organization he has led since 2016. For that reason, the entire initiative must for now be viewed as a political signal that could influence the race, but it does not yet have the status of a formal proposal before the United Nations.
The report comes immediately after the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, during which Trump and Infantino frequently appeared together at public events. Their relationship developed over the years through preparations for FIFA's biggest tournament, meetings at the White House and coordination between U.S. institutions and the competition's organizers. In December 2025, FIFA presented Trump with its first peace prize, and Infantino publicly emphasized his ability to bring people together on that occasion. Trump, for his part, repeatedly praised FIFA and its president for the organization of the competition and football's global reach. It is precisely this closeness that explains why Infantino is now being mentioned within the U.S. president's circle as a possible candidate for one of the most influential diplomatic positions in the world.
There is a long institutional road from a media idea to a candidacy
The U.S. president cannot appoint the secretary-general of the United Nations on his own, regardless of the political weight of the United States. Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, a candidate must first be recommended by the Security Council and is then appointed by the General Assembly. In practice, member states propose candidates to the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, the candidates present their programs, and consultations and voting then begin in the Security Council. Adoption of a recommendation requires at least nine votes in the 15-member Council, with none of the five permanent members — the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom — casting a veto. U.S. support would therefore open an important door for Infantino, but it would not be sufficient without acceptability to the other permanent members and the support of enough elected members.
The formal process to select António Guterres's successor was launched by a joint letter from the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on November 25, 2025. The United Nations announced that the Security Council had been considering candidacies since late May 2026, while public interactive dialogues allowed candidates to present their experience, priorities and plans for reforming the organization. A public discussion with the candidates is also scheduled for July 23, 2026, at UN headquarters in New York, demonstrating that the process is already at an advanced stage. A possible Infantino candidacy would therefore emerge relatively late and would require rapid diplomatic mobilization. Trump's wish alone, even if officially confirmed, would have to be transformed into a formal nomination by one or more member states.
Guterres's second term ends on December 31, 2026, and his successor is expected to take office on January 1, 2027. The secretary-general leads the United Nations Secretariat, participates in mediation in international crises, alerts the Security Council to threats to peace and represents the organization on issues involving war, humanitarian disasters, development, human rights and climate change. The position is politically highly sensitive because its holder must cooperate with major powers while simultaneously preserving the institution's independence and credibility in relation to all member states. The support of one permanent member can be decisive in advancing a candidacy, but excessive ties to any government can become a burden in negotiations. That dilemma would probably be at the center of the debate about Infantino.
Infantino has already announced a new candidacy for FIFA president
Gianni Infantino has led FIFA since February 26, 2016, when he was elected as the organization's ninth president at an extraordinary congress. He was re-elected without an opponent in 2019 and 2023, and his current term runs until 2027. At the FIFA Congress in Vancouver in late April 2026, he officially announced that he would run again, thanking the representatives of 211 national football associations for their support. At the congress, he thanked the representatives of all 211 associations for their support to date. Such a development suggests that Infantino had so far planned to remain at the head of world football rather than prepare for a move to the United Nations.
Taking office as secretary-general at the beginning of 2027 would in practice be difficult to reconcile with continuing a presidential campaign at FIFA. Both positions involve extensive political, managerial and representative obligations, while simultaneously leading two major global organizations would raise questions of conflicts of interest and institutional independence. Therefore, if Infantino accepted a candidacy for the UN and obtained the necessary support, he would almost certainly have to redefine his plans related to FIFA. To date, he has not announced that he is considering stepping down from the football organization. The New York Post stated that he had not responded to a request for comment regarding possible interest in the United Nations position, so claims about his intentions remain unverified.
Trump's supporters could highlight as Infantino's advantage his experience managing an institution that brings together 211 national associations, organizes competitions on every continent and negotiates with governments, sponsors, broadcasters and international organizations. Under his leadership, FIFA has substantial revenues, develops programs in numerous countries and uses football as a tool for international promotion. However, leading a sports federation cannot be directly compared with managing the United Nations system, which encompasses peacekeeping operations, development agencies, humanitarian aid, refugee protection, public health and human rights. The secretary-general does not possess the powers of a world government, but must mediate between states whose interests are often directly opposed. Infantino's ability to adapt to such an environment would be one of the key questions in any serious consideration of his candidacy.
Closeness to Trump is both an advantage and a possible political burden
During preparations for the 2026 World Cup, Infantino built an exceptionally visible relationship with the U.S. administration. In March 2025, Trump established a special White House task force to prepare for the tournament, and Infantino publicly welcomed the decision as evidence of strong support for the organization of the event. The two men met in Washington and at sporting events, while FIFA highlighted the tournament's economic and social impact. During the final stages of the competition in July 2026, Infantino again praised the role of the United States and assessed that the tournament had exceeded expectations. Such cooperation gives Trump personal experience of Infantino's working methods, but it may lead other countries to question how politically independent a potential secretary-general would be from the country most loudly supporting him.
The peace prize FIFA awarded to Trump in December 2025 further reinforced perceptions of their closeness. According to FIFA's official announcement, Infantino said at the time that the U.S. president could count on his support and that of the football community in efforts for peace. For Trump's allies, this may be evidence that Infantino understands the political value of sport and personal diplomacy. Critics, however, might argue that the FIFA president has too openly tied the institution to a single political leader. In the race for secretary-general, in which candidates must win over states with very different relationships with Washington, the same connection could simultaneously provide U.S. support and provoke caution among other members.
The question of independence is especially important because the secretary-general is expected to publicly uphold the principles of the UN Charter even when they conflict with the interests of powerful states. The officeholder must speak with governments that have no diplomatic relations with one another, mediate in wars and defend the work of humanitarian and development agencies. Political closeness to one permanent member is not automatically an obstacle, but a candidate must convince the others that he will not act as an extension of a national administration. Infantino would therefore have to present a much broader international platform than his partnership with Trump to date. Without that, his name could remain merely an interesting but difficult-to-implement idea of the U.S. president.
Regional balance and the call for a woman to lead the UN for the first time
A possible Infantino candidacy would also raise the question of informal regional rotation. The UN Charter does not prescribe which region the secretary-general must come from, but the General Assembly has for years emphasized the importance of geographical diversity. There is a widespread expectation in political and diplomatic circles that the next leader could come from Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that has not produced a secretary-general since the term of Peru's Javier Pérez de Cuéllar ended in 1991. Among the candidates presented so far are several experienced politicians and diplomats from that region, further increasing pressure to respect the tradition of regional balance. Infantino, born in Switzerland and associated with the European regional group, would have to convince members that his management abilities carry greater weight than this informal expectation.
At the same time, there is a strong demand for the United Nations to be led by a woman for the first time in history. In the joint letter that launched the selection process, the leaders of the General Assembly and the Security Council explicitly recalled that no woman had ever served as secretary-general and called on states to give serious consideration to female candidates. This is not a legally binding rule, but it represents an important political criterion in a year when the UN's credibility in promoting equality is under discussion. The candidacy of another man from outside the region that many consider next in line could therefore encounter resistance, regardless of Washington's support. On the other hand, the history of selections shows that the final outcome often depends on a compromise among the major powers rather than solely on publicly stated criteria.
The race for the tenth secretary-general is taking place at a time of deep divisions among the permanent members of the Security Council, pressure on the UN budget and numerous simultaneous wars and humanitarian crises. States will therefore assess not only a candidate's political biography but also the ability to negotiate, manage a large system and maintain communication with opposing blocs. Infantino has experience with global visibility and working with governments, but he does not possess the traditional diplomatic résumé held by many previous candidates and secretaries-general. His entry into the race would change its dynamics, particularly if the United States formally backed him. Without such a nomination, Infantino's official consent and signs of acceptability from the other permanent members, the discussion remains in the realm of political testing of reactions.
What could happen after Trump's signal
The first indication of the initiative's seriousness will be a possible official statement from the White House or the U.S. State Department. Formal support would require diplomatic contacts with members of the Security Council and an assessment of whether Infantino could secure at least nine votes without a veto. The second key step would be his personal consent, because a candidacy without a clear willingness to leave FIFA would not be credible. The third would be finding one or more states willing to formally nominate him in accordance with the UN procedure. Only then could his name be compared on equal terms with candidates who have already presented their programs and answered questions from member states.
For now, the only confirmed fact is that the New York Post, citing a source close to Trump, reported the president's wish for Infantino to succeed Guterres. There is no official confirmation that the U.S. administration has begun lobbying for his selection, nor that Infantino is interested. His announced candidacy for another term at the head of FIFA and strong support from national associations point to a different professional plan. Nevertheless, the fact that the United States has veto power means Trump's position cannot be ignored in the decision-making process. Even if Infantino never becomes an official candidate, the report itself may be a message to the other contenders that Washington will seek a person it considers capable of leading the United Nations differently.
Sources:
- New York Post – report on Trump's wish for Gianni Infantino to become the next UN secretary-general and the absence of official confirmation of the candidacy (link)
- United Nations – official page on the process of selecting and appointing the next secretary-general, including deadlines and events in 2026 (link)
- United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library – explanation of the nomination process, the Security Council's recommendation and appointment by the General Assembly (link)
- United Nations Security Council – voting rules and the required number of votes, including the possibility of a veto by permanent members (link)
- United Nations – overview of the new term beginning on January 1, 2027, and the role of the secretary-general (link)
- FIFA – official announcement that Gianni Infantino will run for a new presidential term in 2027 (link)
- FIFA – information on Infantino's re-election in 2023 and his term until 2027 (link)
- FIFA – official announcement on the awarding of FIFA's first peace prize to Donald Trump in December 2025 (link)
- White House – documents on the establishment of the task force for the 2026 World Cup and cooperation between the U.S. administration and the organizers (link)
- Security Council Report – analysis of the current selection, regional rotation, gender representation and political dynamics in the Security Council (link)