Donald Trump is set to be present at the World Cup final on Sunday, where Spain will compete against Argentina, as confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday.
Leavitt stated, “We look forward to the final match on Sunday, and I know the president looks forward to attending,”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced that Trump will present the World Cup trophy to the winners at New Jersey’s New York Stadium. Infantino reiterated this plan during an interview with Swiss media outlet Blue Sport this week.
“This is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America’s ability to host the world on the grandest stage.” Infantino remarked. “Yes, hopefully we’ll present the trophy together in the final,”
During the previous World Cup final in 2022, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, joined Infantino to present the trophy to Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates. Similarly, Vladimir Putin awarded the trophy to Kylian Mbappé and the French team after their victory in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Last summer, Trump was prominently featured at the Club World Cup final held at the same East Rutherford stadium, where he presented the trophy to Chelsea, receiving loud boos from the audience.
While Trump has yet to attend any matches during this World Cup, he has been involved behind the scenes. He maintains a strong relationship with Infantino and reportedly called the Fifa president to advocate for a review of the controversial red-card suspension of USA star Folarin Balogun before their last-16 match. Ultimately, Fifa overturned Balogun’s suspension, though the controversy overshadowed the US team, which exited the tournament following a disappointing loss to Belgium.
Since his reelection, Trump has made multiple appearances at various sporting events. He attended last year’s Super Bowl, the US Open in tennis, the Daytona 500, and golf’s Ryder Cup. This year, he has participated in several golf events, the college football national championship game, and Game 3 of the NBA finals, where he was met with boos from the New York Knicks’ home crowd.
Leavitt indicated she was unaware of which team Trump would be supporting in the final.
“That’s always been the plan, and that’s how it’s always been done in the past – the president of the country where the final is held presents the trophy together with the Fifa president.” she remarked to reporters.
Additionally, Leavitt announced that Trump will attend a Fifa reception at Trump Tower in New York City on Friday. This event comes on the heels of soccer’s governing body opening an office in the Trump Tower last year.
- World Cup 2026
- World Cup
- Fifa
- Gianni Infantino
- Donald Trump
