Good morning, world. It’s Week 2 of the World Cup and most of us are focused on the game, sometimes defying time zones and staying up until the early hours. For some of us, FIFA’s decision to anchor the tournament in the United States means weeks of sleep deprivation. For FIFA, it means money — a lot of it. This will be by far the most profitable World Cup ever. Football’s governing body has been trying to win over American hearts and minds for a long time, which is one factor behind the extremely cozy relationship between Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, and Donald Trump. It’s hard to think of a FIFA president who has forged as close a relationship with any world leader as Infantino has with Trump — and it’s already changing the organization. Today my colleagues Rebecca Ruiz and Tariq Panja write about the Trumpification of FIFA. Also:
FIFA crypto and FIFA hotels?By Rebecca Ruiz and Tariq Panja What people tend to remember is the peace prize. Last fall, Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, had an idea. The Nobel Peace Prize had just gone to the Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado. President Trump, who’d openly campaigned for the prize, was miffed. Infantino, who was courting Trump as an ally, saw an opportunity. Why shouldn’t FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, have its own peace prize? The first honoree: Trump, of course. The FIFA Peace Prize made headlines because it took Infantino’s efforts to flatter and ingratiate himself with Trump to new heights. The award, hastily pulled together, angered many football officials, who said that it embarrassed FIFA and cast the organization as partisan. Trump, for his part, called the prize “truly one of the great honors of my life.” But while grand gestures like the FIFA Peace Prize have captured attention, they’re overshadowing a bigger story about how FIFA is transforming under Infantino. The FIFA president isn’t just going to elaborate lengths to cultivate Donald Trump; he’s also making the organization more Trump-like in the process. The Trumpification Should the governing body of international football have licensing deals with hotels to use FIFA’s name? Under Infantino, FIFA is exploring exactly that, just as the Trump family has long done, we learned. Should there be a FIFA cryptocurrency? Infantino, who attended a crypto summit this year at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s Florida retreat, has explored that, too, just like the Trumps. FIFA headquarters are in Zurich. But the organization recently opened a gleaming North American hub in Miami, where Infantino currently lives — and he is operating very much in the president’s orbit. The organization that Infantino took over was facing controversy before he came along. When he became president of FIFA in 2016, it was reeling from a corruption case brought by the U.S. Justice Department detailing decades of bribery and kickback schemes. Infantino, in fact, set out to rehabilitate FIFA’s reputation, especially within the U.S. — to recast the organization as one closely aligned with the American government and no longer regarded warily by its authorities. But doing so has required getting close to an administration with its own scandals, and embracing Trump’s transactional dynamics, which involve capitalizing on relationships for both potential profit and political gain. In Trump’s first term, Infantino praised Trump through his impeachments and falling poll numbers. The investment paid off. Infantino’s access to the Trump administration made possible a “courtesy visit,” as a FIFA news release put it, with the U.S. attorney general, who was overseeing the FIFA cases. Infantino emerged saying he was “fully convinced” that “the credibility and reputation of FIFA is being restored at the highest level.” In Trumpian fashion, the closeness also produced potential business opportunities. Under Infantino’s watch, FIFA discussed with the Treasury secretary at the time, Steven Mnuchin, an investment in a streaming service, according to a senior FIFA official. Nothing materialized, but only because the venture was put on hold, we learned. Infantino attempted to woo the Biden administration, too. But Biden officials kept their distance, wary of getting too close to a scandal-tainted organization, former government officials told us. The relationship with Trump has paid even greater dividends since his return to the White House. Infantino sat prominently among dignitaries at Trump’s inauguration last year, and he has accompanied the president on state visits abroad — raising FIFA’s profile, and Infantino’s own. The Infantino era This year’s World Cup — which is being jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico — may be the ultimate test of whether all this relationship-building has been worth it.
Infantino’s supporters say he’s ensuring that a volatile president doesn’t disrupt the tournament. (One top FIFA official said he believed that there was an unofficial understanding that the authorities would not conduct immigration enforcement outside stadiums, for example — something a FIFA spokesman denies.) This month’s controversies over a U.S. denial of entry to a Somali referee and the logistical challenges faced by the Iranian team haven’t, so far, overshadowed the football, and illustrate just how disruptive Trump could be if he wanted to. “I think it is absolutely crucial for the success of a World Cup to have a close relationship with the president,” Infantino said last year. But the transformation of FIFA as a result of the Trump-Infantino relationship could endure in ways that will outlast the tournament. FIFA has rules on political neutrality. Many football officials have expressed concerns that Infantino has crossed ethical lines in his relationship with Trump. Some have filed formal ethics complaints. Their concern is that the Infantino era has replaced the previous era’s rampant corruption with problems of a different kind. Join the conversation and comment here.
First day of U.S.-Iran talksU.S. and Iranian negotiators met at a Swiss lakeside resort for a little over an hour yesterday, hoping to turn a 60-day cease-fire into a lasting peace. But the talks underscored how far apart the two sides remain: Iran demanded an end to the war in Lebanon as a condition for further discussions, and Trump renewed threats against Iran even as Vice President JD Vance hailed “great progress.” Uncertainty remains over whether the Strait of Hormuz has reopened to traffic, with the U.S. and Iranian militaries offering conflicting accounts. Lebanon: Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah appeared to ease, a day after Israel ordered its military to limit itself to defensive actions only. Mona Khalil, a woman who had spent a quarter century protecting endangered sea turtles, was among the civilians recently killed by Israeli strikes.
TOP OF THE WORLD The most clicked link in your newsletter on Friday was about a 3-year-old critically injured in a crocodile pen.
Spain bounces backSpain finally found its stride in an impressive 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia, with Lamine Yamal scoring after just 10 minutes. Iran frustrated Belgium in a tense goalless draw. Follow our live updates. An unexpected hero: Did Eloy Room of Curacao give the greatest goalkeeping performance in tournament history when he made 15 saves against Ecuador?
The Hugo spritzA light, floral medley of elderflower liqueur, Prosecco and sparkling water, the Hugo spritz is having a banner year after creeping onto more bar and restaurant menus over the last few summers. One sign that the cocktail has reached escape velocity: Bars have begun to riff on the original, adding tweaks like cucumber juice, vermouth or a splash of gin.
The Taliban have imposed some of the world’s toughest restrictions on women and girls, but to ward off economic collapse, they are letting women start businesses under strict rules. Ten times more women run businesses in Afghanistan under the Taliban today than under the previous U.S.-backed government. Yet the apparent boom underscores how few opportunities remain for Afghan women: For many, entrepreneurship is the only way to earn a living and maintain a social life. Barred from secondary education and many types of jobs, those who had dreamed of becoming lawyers, engineers or professors have turned to carpet weaving, cosmetics or vocational training. Meet the women running businesses under Taliban rule.
Take a ‘book-cation’Bookish travel isn’t new — think of the legions of visitors to Pamplona, Spain, inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises.” Now, travel companies, book clubs, hotel libraries and a growing number of literary festivals are offering readers new ways to indulge their interests. One travel company is offering a 12-day trip to Croatia based on a popular Emily Henry book. Another is guiding tourists through the New York of Fiona Davis’s novels. My colleague Elaine Glusac stayed in Switzerland at the Hotel du Lac after learning about it in an Anita Brookner book. Read more about the surge in literary travel.
Listen: Here are our picks for the best classical music and opera of the year, so far. Read: “Frenzy,” Joyce Carol Oates’s new collection of short stories, deals in physical and psychic wounds. Choose: Our fashion critic has tips on finding jeans that won’t go out of style. Nest: This Los Angeles architect filled her home with color and vintage objects — a style she calls “optimistic modernism.”
The good thing about this tzatziki chickpea salad is that it requires no cooking. Cucumbers and chickpeas are dressed with a lemony and garlicky Greek yogurt mixture. You get a crunch and plant-based protein all in one bite.
Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. That’s it for today. See you tomorrow! — Katrin We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at theworld@nytimes.com.
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