President Trump raised the question of whether American football should be called something else. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
President Donald Trump says the United States should stop calling soccer by that name and start calling it “football” — meaning the National Football League might need a new name if it’s open to the president’s suggestion.
“When you look at what has happened to football in the United States, which is soccer in the United States, we seem to never call it (football) because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football,” Trump said Friday during the FIFA World Cup draw. “But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called … this is football, there’s no question about it. We have to come up with another name for the NFL. It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”
Outside the U.S., soccer is called football, and the term “American football” identifies the other sport. Soccer is called that in America because gridiron football, now known as American football, exploded in popularity. There still was confusion for several years, including the national governing body for soccer being called the United States Soccer Football Association until 1974, when it simplified the name to the United States Soccer Federation.
The NFL has held its name since 1922, when it changed from American Professional Football Association to the National Football League. The NFL is the most popular league in America by far, as the sport dominates broadcast viewership, attendance and advertising. The president has long been a fan of the NFL, as he recently attended a Washington Commanders game and appeared on Fox’s broadcast of the contest.
FIFA is ramping up in preparation for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 through July 19. The groupings were revealed Friday and the United States will prepare to host the event for the first time since 1994. Trump attended the World Cup draw alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney and Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum. Earlier in the show before the draw, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
What do you all think the NFL could call itself if the league were to change its name? Leave your suggestions below in the comments section.
Dec 5, 2025
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