From FIFA’s Zurich orbit to midtown Manhattan, a lease inside Trump Tower has raised fresh questions over the governing body’s relationship with the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Documents reviewed in France indicate that FIFA committed €3.19 million to rent a largely unused 450-square-metre office on the building’s 17th floor.
The agreement, which took effect in June 2025, covers a representation space linked to the office used by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The property is owned and managed by the Trump family, while the New York-based company receiving the payments is chaired by Eric Trump, son of US president Donald Trump.
A long lease in a scarcely occupied space
The deal binds FIFA to the Trump Tower premises until the end of 2032, extending well beyond the World Cup to be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026. Although the office is presented as a FIFA representation site, no FIFA employees are assigned there, and much of the organisation’s workforce was reportedly unaware that the agreement existed.
The contract was approved in May 2025 by four members of FIFA’s board. Secretary general Mattias Grafström, the Swedish administrator, signed first on the document.
FIFA would face significant restrictions if it wished to leave early. It may only seek termination after five years and seven months from the start of the lease, must provide a year’s notice and would have to pay an amount equal to six months’ rent.
Questions over the selection process
The documents also suggest that FIFA did not inspect alternative Manhattan locations or invite competing offers before choosing Trump Tower. That approach differed from the process followed for FIFA facilities in Miami.
Several figures within FIFA’s administration have voiced concern about the arrangement, citing a potential conflict of interest and arguing that the usual procurement procedure was not followed.
The Manhattan lease adds detail to earlier claims of unusually close ties between Infantino and Donald Trump, including allegations of a reciprocal relationship between the FIFA president and the US president. With North America preparing to host the next World Cup, the choice of a Trump family-owned building for a little-used FIFA office has become another point of scrutiny around football’s most powerful institution.
