The longest-running transatlantic squabble isn’t about food or customs. It’s the never-ending football vs. soccer debate. Americans insist their version has earned the name. Europeans point to the obvious: it’s a game built around kicking a ball. With the FIFA World Cup headed to the country next year, Friday’s draw brought plenty of fanfare with the US President Donald Trump tossing out an opinion that’s bound to pull a reaction from just about every American football fan.

“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.”

The NFL has carried its name since 1922, back when it changed from the “American Professional Football Association” for “National Football League.” The “football” part has never been touched since the sport’s invention in the mid-19th century.

While it may be the World Cup excitement talking, but, hearing a U.S. president suggest renaming the country’s most beloved sports league is… something.

For one, FIFA exactly what FIFA wanted to hear. The organization handed out its first-ever “peace prize” at the event to Trump and adjusted the draw lineup to make him feel at home.

“Donald, you can do what you want; this is your place,” Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, said.

So no, NFL fans probably don’t need to brace for a rebrand anytime soon. This was more about politics, optics, and some friendly handshakes across the aisle of world football. But the World Cup draw could spark another round of the football-versus-soccer conversation that never actually ends.

Also, we might see some other name changes within the NFL, thanks to the President.

Donald Trump wants the Commanders’ stadium renamed

The president has never hidden his affection for the NFL. He attended the Washington Commanders game in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions, even stopped by the Fox broadcast booth, and walked away impressed with the new stadium plans. In fact, he liked the latter so much that he reportedly wants his name on the building.

According to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, Donald Trump has been pushing behind the scenes for Washington’s planned $3.7 billion stadium to carry his name. Those efforts have included quiet conversations with members of Josh Harris, the Commanders owner’s, group and some pressure on the government agencies that would ultimately need to approve the project, confirmed by a senior White House official.

“It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen,” the official told ESPN.

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The stadium is still in development. The Commanders are set to invest $2.7 billion, covering all cost overruns, to build a 65,000-seat venue on a 174-acre parcel just a couple of miles from the U.S. Capitol.

“He has cards to play. He can make it very difficult, through government environmental approvals and other things, to make sure everyone who wants this stadium to be built will join to put his name on it,” the source said. “Trump has plenty of cards to play to get his way.”

This isn’t the first time Trump has tiptoed into Washington’s long-running identity conversation, either. Back in July, he threatened to block the stadium project entirely unless Harris restored the franchise’s former name, the Redskins, a name the team retired in 2020 after longstanding concerns from Native American groups.

So, while the NFL probably won’t be changing its name any time soon, the Commanders may find themselves navigating yet another round of debates over what their team and stadium should be called.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 through July 19. The United States host the event for the first time since 1994.