In late April and early May 2026, social media users alleged Pope Leo XIV said in an interview he would "probably" cheer for Peru over the U.S. should the two teams compete in the FIFA World Cup.
In short, Leo truly said this. In the same answer, he also said of all sports that "as pope I'm a fan of all the teams."
Leo said "probably Peru" during a July 2025 video interview with Elise Ann Allen, a Leo biographer and senior correspondent for Crux, a website providing independent coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
Users shared very brief clips — or partial transcripts — featuring only the "probably Peru" part of Leo's answer, omitting his complete thoughts on the matter.
Leo is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Peru, and served in Peru for much of his life as a missionary and later a bishop.
Peru failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as did Italy — another country Leo mentioned in his full answer, which appears below.
Leo's complete World Cup answer
In September 2025, Crux published a YouTube video containing Allen's World Cup question and Leo's complete answer, as well as a partial transcript of the multi-part interview.
At the beginning of Allen's first interview video, she asks if Leo feels more like he's the first pope from the U.S. or the second representing Latin America, including, "Do you feel more American? Do you feel more Latin American?" Leo answers, splitting his admiration of both the U.S. and Peru much in the same way he split up his life living in the two countries:
LEO: I think the answer is both and, one of the things that has come out in a number of articles that have been published as journalists and others try to decipher, interpret or make up what they think I am, but there's an element of truth in statements that are being made about the world experience that I've had. And even the studies that have done and the family tree genealogy and finding. I know some of what's been published but a lot has been discovered that I wasn't aware of, and there seems to be something someone said to me recently between the family background of all the different nationalities including my brother, who just got a book that was published in France talking about the African roots, which there apparently are, and French and Italian and Spanish and Cuban and Haitian, Peruvian, because of the Spanish connection.
All of that together has, along with my experience especially as prior generally in getting to know the church around the world, has given me, I think, a real appreciation for the wonderful wealth of traditions and cultures and languages that make up the world and, of course, the church.
So, I'm obviously an American and I very much feel that I'm an American, but I also love very much Peru, the Peruvian people, and so that is a part of who I am. Half of my ministerial life was spent in Peru, so the Latin American perspective is very valuable to me and I think comes out also in an appreciation that I have for the life of the church from Latin America which I believe was significant in both my connection with Pope Francis, my understanding of some of the vision that Pope Francis had for the church and how in some ways, at least, we can continue to carry that on from what Francis was, promote. That word's not promote. Francis was offering to the church in terms of a vision, a true prophetic vision for the church today and tomorrow.
Allen then presents the World Cup question as, "Scenario: the United States ruin the World Cup. Who do you cheer for?" Leo answers with the very brief beginning featured in social media posts (bolded emphasis ours), then separats his previous private life from that of the papacy, explaining "as pope I'm a fan of all the teams":
LEO: Um, good question. Probably Peru. And just because of affective bonds, if you will.
There was a case some years ago and, because I'm also a big fan of Italy in World Cup level I would follow three teams generally. You mentioned two. And Italy would be the third one. So...
MAN OFF-CAMERA: If they qualify.
(everyone laughs)
LEO: Then, yes that's a big if. Also Peru (inaudible) of course. There hasn't been an issue recently. So, you know, I follow the World Cup. So, even when you know people know I'm a White Sox fan and I sort of said, "Well, Robert Prevost was a White Sox fan, but as pope I'm a fan of all the teams," you know. So I am a fan of the Rome soccer team, but when the Naples team came after they had won the Scudetto, I, you know, obviously was encouraging them and congratulating them.
So even, even at home, I mean, I grew up a White Sox fan, but my mother was a Cubs fan. So you couldn't be one of those fans that shut out the other side. It was like, we learned even in sports to have sort of a, an open kind of a dialogical friendly and not angry competitive stance and things like that because we might not have gotten (inaudible).
For further reading, we previously reported whether a video truly featured Leo issuing a warning from God about idolizing U.S. President Donald Trump.