Kalasuara -

Donald Trump wants to propose Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, as a candidate for the next United Nations secretary-general, the New York Post reported on July 21, 2026, citing unnamed sources close to the US president.

The sources said Trump believes the successful staging of the 2026 World Cup showed Infantino's ability to bring people from different countries together. The assessment remains a media report, not an official White House announcement or a formal nomination to the UN.

Can Trump make Infantino the UN secretary-general directly?

No. The UN secretary-general is the organization's chief executive, appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council. Five of those members, the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom, hold veto power and can each block a candidate alone.

Trump's backing gives Infantino a foothold with one permanent member. He would still need buy-in from the other four veto holders and enough votes in the Security Council before the General Assembly's 193 members, including Indonesia, weigh in on the appointment. Indonesia does not hold a Security Council seat in 2026; its last term ran from 2019 to 2020, so its vote would only come into play at the General Assembly stage.

For Indonesian football, the direction of this candidacy still matters. Infantino leads an organization that oversees 211 member associations, including the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI). A change at the top of FIFA could affect the continuity of funding, governance and competition policy that touches member federations.

The selection process is already underway, without Infantino's name on it

Antonio Guterres ends his second term on December 31, 2026, and his successor is due to take office on January 1, 2027. The formal selection process opened with a joint letter from the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council to member states on November 25, 2025.

As of June 2026, six candidates had gone through the UN's interactive dialogues: Michelle Bachelet, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, Macky Sall and Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett. Virginia Gamba withdrew her candidacy on March 25, 2026. Infantino's name is not on that list, and a formal nomination has to come from at least one UN member state, not be floated through anonymous sources to the press.

Trump and Infantino have grown closer since the World Cup

The report surfaced days after Trump and Infantino appeared together at a World Cup reception at Trump Tower in Manhattan on July 17, 2026, two days before the final. Infantino repeatedly praised Trump's role in the tournament.

"The American dream, Mr. President, came to reality," Infantino said at the event. He added, "We united the world," explaining further: "We have seen millions of people coming together in the last month and a half to the United States, to Canada and to Mexico, but in every corner of the world, coming together in a peaceful way, in a joyful way, wanting to spend time together and wanting to celebrate a moment of community."

The tournament itself was not free of controversy involving Trump, including when he phoned FIFA to get Folarin Balogun cleared from a suspension ahead of a US national team match. The 2026 World Cup's technology also drew scrutiny, with a sensor-based offside system that split public opinion throughout the tournament.

Infantino is juggling two competing timelines

Infantino has already announced he will run again for FIFA president in 2027, a decision he has communicated to the 211 member associations. The report of a UN candidacy offers no word on whether he would drop that plan if he actually entered the race for secretary-general.

His background as a Swiss-Italian citizen is also an informal factor in intergovernmental negotiations. Guterres, the sitting secretary-general, is from Portugal, and geographic rotation, along with a push to elect the first woman secretary-general, often shapes lobbying among member states even though neither is written into the rules.

"Being FIFA president is an incredible honor, an incredible privilege, and it is also a great responsibility," Infantino said when he was re-elected to lead FIFA. That line now sits next to a new question: whether he would trade a job he has held for eight years for a candidacy with a far narrower path.