Ronaldo, Trump, MBS at the White House? This is the world in 2025 (and World Cup in 2026) – The New York Times

Donald Trump, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohammed bin Salman Getty Images
Before Donald Trump arrived, a camera zeroed in on Elon Musk, then pivoted — because, sauntering around a table Tuesday night in the East Room of the White House, shaking hands and blowing kisses, was FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
It soon returned to Musk, the world’s richest man, then zoomed out again — because, scattered around three long tables at a black-tie dinner, were other billionaires, a Saudi prince and princess, top tech executives and … Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Ronaldo was seated feet away from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his “boss,” amid a sea of American politicians and artificial intelligence CEOs, in a room that Trump said was “loaded up with the biggest leaders in the world.”
And the only question any reasonable person could possibly ask was: “Huh? Why?”
Why had a Portuguese soccer star flown across the Atlantic on his private jet for a gala after a bilateral meeting between the President of the United States and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia?
Why was Ronaldo, who earned the world’s attention with dazzling skill and ruthless goalscoring, at this absurdly exclusive event that had nothing to do with soccer or Portugal or Real Madrid or Manchester United?
And the only reasonable answer was: This, in 2025, is the world we live in.
It’s a world where powerful people mingle in search of mutually beneficial ways to wield their power, where sports, politics and business are as intertwined as ever. The assumption, then, was that Ronaldo wants something from Trump, or vice versa, and hmmm, what could that be?
Could it be an intervention to ensure that Ronaldo doesn’t face a 2026 World Cup suspension for his recent red card?
Could it be a preemptive pardon and an assurance that he’ll never be punished for his alleged rape of a Las Vegas woman in 2009 (Ronaldo has never been charged and has always strenuously denied the accusation).
Could it be, on the other hand, that Trump wants Ronaldo in his corner as a vocal supporter as he tries to commandeer the 2026 World Cup for political gain?
Those, in another world, at another time, would all have been outlandish theories.
Now, they are … just theories.
It could, of course, be that Ronaldo has genuine altruistic aims. He spoke earlier this month about his desire to talk with Trump because of the U.S. President’s power to negotiate world peace. “I wish one day to meet him,” Ronaldo said, “because he is one of the guys who can make things happen. And I like people like that.”
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A few weeks later, on Tuesday, Ronaldo did meet Trump. All we know about the meeting, though, is that Trump’s son, Barron — “a big fan of Ronaldo,” Trump said — was impressed when Dad introduced him.
“I think he respects his father a little bit more now,” Trump said.
Some of the 100-plus people in the room laughed.
Bloody conflicts and world peace, as far as we know, were not impacted.
The more likely explanation — the one posited by multiple experts to The Athletic — is that Ronaldo was brought to Washington by Bin Salman and the Saudi delegation as something of a show pony. Ronaldo’s record-shattering contracts with Saudi soccer club Al Nassr — which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the PIF — have positioned him as something of an ambassador for the Kingdom. He was, essentially, bought by the Gulf state as both a footballer and an instrument of soft power. His presence at the dinner alongside Saudi dignitaries would serve to reinforce the nation’s increasingly prominent — and decreasingly controversial — place in the world.
Great night! pic.twitter.com/XfdC9bJqP4
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) November 19, 2025

Hours earlier, Trump and Bin Salman were getting grilled by reporters about the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, a murder that U.S. intelligence officials later said Bin Salman had ordered. The Saudi leader has been criticized internationally for his brutal repression of dissent and for the country’s human rights record.
But at the glitzy gala, Bin Salman sat there smiling as Trump introduced him as a “great friend and a man of leadership, vision, courage and strength.”
And Ronaldo, near the front of the room, sat there sipping what appeared to be Champagne.
What did he get out of it? What did he take from Trump’s speech about Franklin Delano Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz, about American manufacturing and military equipment, about the “beautiful B-2 bombers” that attacked Iran, and plenty more?
Perhaps the goal was to lay groundwork for a post-playing career in or adjacent to politics.
Or, perhaps, there were more immediate aims. To his right was Trump, and over his left shoulder was Infantino, the two men who seem to control the 2026 World Cup. And somewhere off in the distance, watching the event or reading about it, was a FIFA disciplinary committee member who will soon help decide whether Ronaldo will serve a three-match suspension for his recent elbow of an Irish player — as FIFA’s disciplinary code seems to suggest he should. Are we supposed to believe that this independent committee member would feel no pressure to make a certain decision? And that Infantino wouldn’t heed a request from Trump on behalf of a new friend?
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Perhaps that’s a preposterous suggestion, an irresponsible piece of speculation. There is, to be clear, no evidence to suggest any of this is happening.
But this is a world where the U.S. Justice Department has reportedly been overtaken by a “culture of fear” and political influence, where critics say laws of all sorts are being disregarded, where loyalty seems to hold sway over expertise and merit.
And it’s a world where Infantino’s relentless flattering and wooing of Trump yields benefits — like the “FIFA PASS” system that will grant World Cup ticket holders traveling to the U.S. from abroad an expedited visa interview. A year ago, some inside FIFA would have conceded the idea as a lost cause. Earlier this week, Trump and his cabinet announced it.
That is how and why Infantino and Ronaldo, Fox hosts and crypto executives, Apple CEO Tim Cook and golfer Bryson Dechambeau, and a dozen Saudi ministers end up in the same chandelier- and candle-lit room.
This is the world in 2025.
And this will be the World Cup in 2026.
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Henry Bushnell is a senior writer for The Athletic covering soccer. He previously covered a variety of sports and events, including World Cups and Olympics, for Yahoo Sports. He is based in Washington, D.C. Follow Henry on Twitter @HenryBushnell

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