Donald Trump is set to be present at the World Cup final on Sunday, featuring a matchup between Spain and Argentina, as confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday.
Leavitt expressed, “We look forward to the final match on Sunday, and I know the president looks forward to attending,”
According to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump is scheduled to award the World Cup trophy to the winning team at New Jersey’s New York Stadium. Infantino reiterated this plan in a recent interview with a Swiss media outlet, Blue Sport.
“This is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America’s ability to host the world on the grandest stage.” Infantino stated. “Yes, hopefully we’ll present the trophy together in the final,”
In the previous World Cup final held in 2022, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, assisted Infantino in presenting the trophy to Lionel Messi and the Argentina team. Likewise, Vladimir Putin awarded the trophy to Kylian Mbappé and France after their victory in the 2018 World Cup hosted in Russia.
Trump was prominently present at last summer’s Club World Cup final, held at the same venue in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where he presented the trophy to Chelsea, albeit facing loud boos from the audience.
Although Trump has not yet attended any matches during the current World Cup, he has played a notable role behind the scenes. His close relationship with Infantino led him to call the FIFA president to advocate for a review of the controversial red-card suspension of USA star Folarin Balogun before their last-16 match. FIFA ultimately reversed Balogun’s ban, although the political controversy may have overshadowed the US team, which exited the tournament with a disappointing loss to Belgium.
Since his reelection, Trump has made several appearances at various sporting events. Last year, he attended the Super Bowl, the US Open in tennis, the Daytona 500, and golf’s Ryder Cup. This year, he has been seen at several golf tournaments, the national championship game in college football, and Game 3 of the NBA finals, where he was met with boos from the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Leavitt informed reporters that she was unaware of which team Trump would be supporting during 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.
Additionally, Leavitt announced that Trump is scheduled to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York City on Friday. FIFA established an office in the building last year.
- World Cup 2026
- World Cup
- FIFA
- Gianni Infantino
- Donald Trump
