Trump's Balogun Call Fails to Dent FIFA's $9B World Cup Payday

FIFA is on course to collect around £6.7 billion ($9 billion) directly from the 2026 World Cup, roughly £1.5 billion ($2 billion) more than the 2022 tournament in Qatar, according to the governing body's own projections. The windfall has held firm through weeks of criticism, capped by US President Donald Trump's intervention over a suspended American player.

Trump confirmed on 6 July that he had telephoned FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the red card shown to striker Folarin Balogun, the United States' leading scorer at the tournament. FIFA suspended the resulting one-match ban, a decision that drew condemnation across European football but did nothing to slow the ticket, sponsorship, and broadcast income flowing into Zurich.

The tournament sits at the centre of FIFA's finances. It is targeting about £9.7 billion ($13 billion) across its 2023 to 2026 commercial cycle, and has broken with tradition by running the event itself, dealing directly with host cities and keeping control of media, sponsorship, and ticketing rather than handing them to a local organising committee.

Prize money has climbed to a record £652.4 million ($871 million). Each of the 48 teams earned at least £9.4 million ($12.5 million) for reaching the finals, £1.5 million ($2 million) more than four years ago, and the winners stand to collect up to £40.1 million ($53.5 million).

Much of the extra income stems from a dynamic ticketing system used at a World Cup for the first time, which moves prices in line with demand. Some matches sold for around 10 times their Qatar equivalent. Infantino has defended the model as standard practice in the US market.

How the Balogun Call Unfolded

Folarin Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of the United States' 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 July for stepping on an opponent's ankle, an offence that carries an automatic one-match ban. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump called the punishment 'very unfair' and said the collision 'wasn't a foul'. FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the ban, placed the Monaco forward on a year's probation, and fined the US Soccer Federation £29,960 ($40,000). The federation was notified through FIFA's portal at 10:31 a.m. EDT on 5 July.

Infantino confirmed the call in a statement, saying he 'regularly' discusses World Cup matters with the US president and receives similar calls from heads of state and business figures worldwide. He and Trump have appeared together several times. Infantino attended the president's inauguration in January and handed him the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize on 5 December 2025.

The reversal drew swift condemnation. UEFA said it 'crossed a red line,' while the Royal Belgian Football Association said it was 'astonished'. Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said, 'This is our sport, not theirs.' UK sports lawyer Nick De Marco told Bloomberg the dispute had moved beyond the original card, questioning 'whether FIFA has undermined the integrity of the World Cup, and its own authority as the global regulator of football.'

The sporting stakes ended on 6 July, when Belgium beat the United States 4-1 in Seattle to eliminate the co-hosts and knock out the last of the three host nations. Infantino, running unopposed, is set to secure a third term when FIFA's 211 member associations vote at the Congress in Rabat, Morocco, in early 2027. Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman called FIFA 'in its best position ever.'

From Corruption Scandal to Record Revenue

A decade ago, FIFA was engulfed in scandal. In 2015, US prosecutors exposed a corruption scheme involving more than £112.4 million ($150 million) in bribes and kickbacks, Swiss police arrested seven officials at a Zurich hotel, and Sepp Blatter, the long-serving president, resigned. Infantino took charge in February 2016 after pledging to quadruple FIFA's income.

He is already looking past 2026. Infantino has floated expanding the World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 edition, a proposal put forward by South American confederation Conmebol that would widen the tournament's commercial reach again.