FIFA spent $4M renting space in Trump Tower – it just sits empty

FIFA spent $4 million to rent a suite in New York City’s Trump Tower – which now mostly sits empty, according to a report.

FIFA signed a more than seven-year lease about a year before this summer’s World Cup, sources told The New York Times. Most of the company’s American employees work out of two offices in Miami, and there are currently no plans to staff the Trump Tower location, the sources said.

Some senior FIFA leaders have expressed concern about the deal over its pricey rent, links to President Donald Trump — and the fact that the governing body has no clear need to rent such space.

The deal has also highlighted the close relationship between Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration and later that year presented the president with the FIFA Peace Prize.

While Trump and Infantino’s relationship can be traced back to 2018, two years after both won their first presidencies, they appeared to grow closer during Trump’s second term as the 2026 World Cup began.

During the tournament, Trump said he called Infantino personally after U.S. player Folarin Balogun was handed a red card. Balogun was eventually allowed to play, drawing fierce backlash over the decision.

Infantino’s conduct during the World Cup, as well as a plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other competitions, have been met with fierce criticism.

The White House declined to comment to the Times on the report. In response to questions about its lease, FIFA defended the arrangement to the newspaper, saying it “complies with all local laws” and “was signed in accordance with FIFA’s standard internal process.”

The decision to open an office in Trump Tower was led by Infantino, two sources told the Times.

The nearly 5,000-square-foot space is mostly used for special events, as well as during the United Nations General Assembly, FIFA said.

“New York is a global city, and FIFA is a global organization; it is therefore logical for FIFA to have a presence there,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Times.

A former governance head at FIFA, Miguel Maduro, told the Times the lease may be a conflict of interest.

“This deal with the Trump Organization raises a clear conflict of interest in the light of FIFA’s interests in the U.S. World Cup or its partnership with President Trump’s Board of Peace,” Maduro said.

Meanwhile, Alex Phillips, a former official at FIFA, called the new office “a completely unnecessary level of pandering.”

Trump and Infantino appeared to grow closer in the lead-up to the World Cup, with Trump receiving the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize from Infantino in December 2025. In a press release detailing the award, FIFA credited Trump for his “pivotal role” in promoting peace between Israel and Palestine.

​The award was given to Trump just months after Venezuelan activist María Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, despite the U.S. president insisting that he was deserving of the accolade.

Earlier this year, Infantino attended a meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace that is helping rebuild Gaza after its conflict with Israel. Infantino confirmed that FIFA would build an academy and a 20,000-seat stadium in Gaza.

Infantino’s relationship with Trump has also prompted an ethics complaint by Norway’s soccer federation, accusing Infantino of possible abuse of power and conflict of interest.