Mussolini used the 1934 World Cup to present fascism as disciplined, modern and triumphant, with Italy’s national team folded seamlessly into the regime’s propaganda. Trump elbowed his way into Chelsea’s Club World Cup celebration at MetLife Stadium in July. Sport, in the Trump imagination, is the great pipeline of Americana. In 2026 the United States will host the men’s World Cup, a month-long global festival that Trump will aim to co-opt for the international validation he’s long craved. Sport gives Trump everything he wants.

Source: The Guardian December 25, 2025 15:30 UTC