Just as the U.S. prepares to welcome the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a debate has erupted not on the pitch, but over the very name of America’s most dominant sport, sparked by a call from former President Donald Trump.

“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,” President Trump recently said at the World Cup draw.

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaching the US next year, the excitement is building. At the World Cup drawing event on Friday, US President Donald Trump shared an idea that has now gotten a reaction from American football fans. He said the name “football” for the American NFL game just doesn’t make sense, especially when you compare it to the world’s game (soccer).

The American football league has been called the National Football League (NFL) since 1922. The word “football” has been part of the sport’s name since it was created in the mid-1800s. Hearing a U.S. president suggest changing the name of America’s most popular sports league is a big deal.

Recently, President Trump made headlines for suggesting a change to the league’s name, although not with the most positive sentiment. Around the same time, he received FIFA’s first-ever “peace prize,” with the organization adjusting the event to welcome him. While he was honored by FIFA, a recent poll did not paint a happy picture regarding his NFL suggestion.

Poll suggests American fans do not agree that the NFL should change its name

During the draw for the 2026 World Cup, President Donald Trump shifted the focus from international soccer to American sports culture.

Right on the big stage, meant to celebrate the world’s game, Trump made a comment about the US’s most popular sport. He jokingly questioned why the United States calls its major league the National Football League (NFL) when the rest of the world uses that name for soccer. This instantly sparked a debate in a country preparing to co-host 48 international teams.

To see what people thought, a poll on The Huddle newsletter of December 5, 2025, Edition #209  (Do you think NFL should change its name) was run by Essentially Sports. The results were very clear: Out of 1,350 votes, an overwhelming 1,196 people voted against changing the name.

That’s a huge 88.59% who want things to stay the same.

Most fans strongly disagreed with the idea. Here are some of the things they wrote:

“In the USA, NFL-MLB-NBA!! Wake up, Mr. Trump, We are America!” one fan wrote.

“Football is an American game,” a second comment read.

“NFL is all-American. Don’t let soccer bully the truly great American sport,” a third comment stated.

 “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!” another commenter stated.

“There’s nothing wrong with that name,” one more commenter said.

Many felt the name has a long history and shouldn’t be changed just because another global game is called “football.”

The NFL has been cited as the most popular sports league in the US since 1967. It is among the prominent events that the nation has come to share as a cultural touchstone, with the Super Bowl being the most-watched TV event annually. Its dominance is unquestionable, making the term “football” intrinsically linked to the American version of the sport.

While President Donald Trump’s comment made headlines at the World Cup event, it has not generally been seen in the US as a serious proposal to change a cultural and commercial institution like the NFL.