Donald Trump attended the World Cup final in East Rutherford, NJ, where he presented the trophy to Spain after their victory over Argentina. The event saw the US president arrive via Marine One, with his helicopter flying over the stadium approximately 45 minutes before the match began. He watched the game from a luxury glassed-in section alongside Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president.
Other notable figures present included Spain‘s King Felipe VI, Canada‘s Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexico‘s President Claudia Sheinbaum. Trump was briefly shown on the stadium’s video screens after the US national anthem, which was met with some scattered boos from the crowd. However, a more pronounced negative reaction occurred when Trump and Infantino entered the field for the post-match presentation ceremony.
Trophy Presentation and Celebrations
After Spain secured their win, Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino took to the field for the trophy presentation. Boos were heard from around the stadium as they appeared. Following the presentation of winners’ medals to the Spain players, Trump and Infantino proceeded to retrieve the World Cup trophy. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum, Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney, and other dignitaries exited the stage as planned.
The President of the United States and the FIFA president jointly handed the trophy to Spain captain Rodri. After shaking hands with Trump, Rodri reportedly waited for Trump to leave the stage with Infantino. However, Trump moved towards the right side of the stage, in the opposite direction from Infantino. The FIFA president then crossed in front of the Spain squad, speaking to Trump and gesturing for him to move away.
As Spain lifted the trophy and confetti began to fall, Trump remained near the Spanish midfielder. He later moved to his left and continued a conversation with the FIFA president. This scene mirrored an earlier event at the 2025 Club World Cup Final, where Trump also presented the trophy to Chelsea and remained on stage during their celebrations, which reportedly caused some bemusement among the players.
Presidential Appearances at Sporting Events
This appearance marked the first time Donald Trump attended a match at this summer’s World Cup, which the US co-hosted with Canada and Mexico. The United States, Mexico, and Canada served as joint hosts for the 2026 World Cup, featuring 104 matches played across the three nations, with the majority taking place in the US.
Trump’s attendance at the World Cup final follows several other sporting event appearances since his re-election. Last year, he attended the Super Bowl, tennis’s US Open, the Daytona 500, and golf’s Ryder Cup. This year, he has been present at multiple golf events, college football’s national championship game, and Game 3 of the NBA finals, where he was met with boos from the New York Knicks home crowd.
Trump is the first sitting US president to attend a World Cup final on home soil. When the US hosted the tournament in 1994, his predecessor Bill Clinton did not attend the game; instead, the trophy was presented by Vice-President Al Gore. In contrast, the 2022 World Cup final saw the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, join Gianni Infantino to award the trophy to Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates. Vladimir Putin awarded the trophy to Kylian Mbappé and France after their victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The relationship between Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino is reportedly close. Trump previously contacted the FIFA president to advocate for a review of USA star Folarin Balogun‘s controversial red-card suspension before their last-16 match. FIFA did reverse Balogun’s ban, though the situation reportedly cast a shadow over the US team, who exited a promising World Cup campaign with a defeat to Belgium.
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Source: theguardian.com
Mason Reed
Sports reporter covering football, basketball and international competitions.