Bedminster (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump will bask in the spotlight at the World Cup final on Sunday — after already providing one of the tournament’s most controversial moments. Trump is expected to present the trophy alongside FIFA boss and close friend Gianni Infantino to the winner of the game between Spain and Argentina. The match in New Jersey will be the first World Cup fixture that Trump has attended, in an unusual move for an 80-year-old leader who normally loves to be in the spotlight.
But it is far from his first intervention in the tournament. Less than two weeks ago, Trump infamously phoned Infantino to ask FIFA to suspend a red card against USA striker Folarin Balogun so he could play in a last-16 match against Belgium. Despite the ensuing controversy over fairness and influence, Trump has hailed the 2026 tournament as the best ever. “This has been the most successful sporting event maybe in the history of the world. It’s been amazing,” Trump told a FIFA reception with Infantino at Trump Tower in New York on Friday. Trump said the tournament had also helped further popularize a sport in the United States, where NFL, baseball, and basketball still rule supreme. “It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it’s going to remain,” added Trump, who said his son Barron, 20, was a huge fan of the game. First Lady Melania Trump, who is Barron’s mother, and Melania’s father Viktor Knavs are both due to attend with the US president.
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The final could also be a chance for some much-needed diplomacy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Spain’s royal family will all attend — despite Trump recently lashing out at Madrid for failing to help with the Iran war and falling short on NATO spending. The leaders of the tournament’s co-hosts, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, will also be there amid ongoing tensions with the mercurial US president. Trump threatened Canada with tariffs on Friday after smoke from raging wildfires drifted over the northeastern United States and raised concerns about air quality for the World Cup final. Mexico’s ties with Washington remain tense over Trump’s large-scale immigration crackdown and threats of military action against drug traffickers. The last time the US, Canadian, and Mexican leaders all met was at the World Cup draw in Washington in December. Trump’s appearance will also be surrounded by heavy security, with a no-fly zone in force around the stadium as he flies in from his New Jersey golf club.
While the focus will be on the football, Trump will be competing for center stage. Trump has hitched his political brand to the World Cup since returning in January 2025 to the Oval Office, where he has hosted Infantino on multiple occasions. He repeatedly boasted about how he won the United States the right to hold the World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics during his first term, before he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden in a result he still refuses to accept. “I was supposed to not be here now, I was president for eight years… they rigged the election and what did I get? I got the World Cup, the Olympics,” Trump said on Friday. Trump on Friday also jokingly talked about how he wanted the United States to host a future World Cup with China, just a day after accusing Beijing of meddling in the 2020 election. “This time we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out,” he said.
Trump, who played soccer as a youth, even criticized England’s tactics in the World Cup semi-final they lost to Argentina and coach Thomas Tuchel’s decision to adopt defensive tactics after taking the lead. All eyes will also be on what Trump does on the field. At the FIFA Club World Cup championship at the same New Jersey stadium last year, winners Chelsea were left “a bit confused” after Trump stayed on the podium while they danced after he handed them the trophy. Trump then later claimed he had been allowed to keep the trophy itself in the Oval Office — but FIFA said the version on display was actually a replica.
© 2024 AFP
