Could Gianni Infantino become the UN Secretary-General?

The US president made the unlikely proclamation on Wednesday, stating the Swiss football supremo has a "special ability to bring people together".

Mr Trump sat next to Mr Infantino at the World Cup final in New Jersey, and the pair watched as Spain beat Argentina.

The Swiss then appeared to desperately usher the American off the stage after they presented Rodri with the trophy, the POTUS appearing happy to emulate his shenanigans from 2025 when he celebrated with Chelsea’s World Club Cup-winning team.

Mr Trump, 80, said afterwards that Mr Infantino “is respected by everyone around the world, and recognises he has a special ability to bring people together”.

Earlier in the tournament, Mr Trump admitted to calling Mr Infantino in a, ultimately successful bid to overturn USA player Folarin Balogun's red card.

But while putting a football executive up for a top UN position is not precedent, what is the protocol as to whether Mr Infantino could end up in the role?

Could Gianni Infantino become the UN’s Secretary-General?

The short answer is that Gianni Infantino is unlikely to become the UN’s Secretary-General, even if Donald Trump endorses him on behalf of the US, as other Council permanent members would need to back the endorsement and could veto it.

António Guterres, the current UN Secretary-General, is finishing his second term at the end of this year and the wheels are now in motion for members to find a successor.

The position is appointed by the UN’s 193-member General Assembly, following a recommendation by the Security Council, whose five permanent members are: The US, China, Russia, France, and the UK.

Any one of these five has the power to veto a candidacy and will present a single candidate to the General Assembly, which will be obliged to vote the person through. Usually the candidate is a highly experienced diplomat with UN experience who can be supported across nations.

It is understood that seven names have been put forward, but there is still time for more names to be added to the shortlist, although Mr Infantino’s name has not been added as yet.

In the meantime, more than 200 candidates endorsed Mr Infantino for a fourth term as Fifa president, with the voting set to be held at the conference in Rabat next year.

It is unclear if Mr Infantino would like the UN job, or if this was another of Mr Trump’s more out-there suggestions that will not come to pass.