Pope Leo XIV has angered Donald Trump supporters in the United States after a resurfaced interview showed the American‑born pontiff saying he would back Peru over Team USA in a hypothetical World Cup clash, just weeks before the tournament kicks off in North America.
The news came after months of simmering tension between Pope Leo XIV and Donald Trump, with the pair publicly at odds over the president's war in Iran. Pope Leo, elected in May last year as the first American pope in the Catholic Church's history, has repeatedly been cast by Trump allies as an ideological opponent. The latest row has less to do with theology than football, but it has quickly become another proxy fight over patriotism, identity, and who gets to claim the mantle of 'real American.'
