This year’s World Cup will unite the world, said on Sunday FIFA president Gianni Infantino, amid high global geopolitical tensions largely generated by moves by United States President Donald Trump, who will be one of the hosts of the event in mid-year.
The United States will host the World Cup between June and July together with Mexico and Canada, two countries that have recently been targets of threats made by Trump.
During an event in Rio de Janeiro to launch the logo for the Women’s World Cup, which will be held next year in Brazil, Infantino did not mention the escalation of global geopolitical tensions or Trump, but stated that the world needs unity.
“It will be a spectacular World Cup. The greatest World Cup in history. We will unite the world. The world needs unity, joy,” Infantino said.
In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to use force to annex Greenland, an island belonging to Denmark, a member of the Western military alliance NATO. Subsequently, he dismissed the use of force but insisted on the United States’ control of the island located in the Arctic.
The American president had already advocated the annexation of Canada by the United States and threatened to take military actions in Mexico to fight drug cartels.
The statements by Infantino also come at a time when protests are taking place on the streets of several U.S. cities after a second incident in which members of the U.S. federal immigration agency, ICE, shot dead an American citizen in the city of Minneapolis.
The FIFA president also participated on the Copacabana waterfront in initiatives to publicize the 2027 Women’s World Cup and is set to travel to Brasília on Monday for a possible meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The logo-launch event for the women’s World Cup also featured executives, athletes and former players, most of them connected to men’s football. The head coach of the men’s national team, Carlo Ancelotti, also attended the event in Copacabana.
The former striker Ronaldo, world champion with the men’s team in 1994 and 2002, said he did not believe that global geopolitical issues could harm or affect this year’s World Cup.
“I think it will be a peaceful environment. People go to celebrate and enjoy the World Cup; it’s an incredible experience,” he said.
