It is expected that D. Trump, together with FIFA president and close friend Gianni Infantino, will present the trophy to the winners of the match between the Spain and Argentina national teams.
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The match in New Jersey will be the first World Cup game attended by D. Trump. This is an unusual step for the 80-year-old leader, who usually likes to be the center of attention.
However, this is far from his first intervention in this tournament.
Less than two weeks ago, D. Trump became famous for calling G. Infantino and asking FIFA to overturn the red card for US forward Folarin Balogun so that he could play in the round of 16 match against Belgium.
Despite the controversy over fairness and influence, D. Trump called the 2026 tournament the best in history.
“It was the most successful sporting event perhaps in all of world history. It was amazing,” D. Trump said on Friday at a FIFA reception in New York’s Trump Tower, speaking alongside G. Infantino.
D. Trump said the tournament also helped to further popularize this sport in the US, where American football, baseball, and basketball still reign.
“It turned out that we are a soccer country, and I think we will remain so,” added D. Trump, noting that his 20-year-old son Barron is a huge fan of the sport.
Joining the US president at the match will be First Lady Melania Trump, who is Barron’s mother, and her father Viktor Knavs.
Football diplomacy
The final could also be an opportunity for much-needed diplomacy.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the Spanish royal family will attend the match, although D. Trump recently criticized Madrid for not helping him in the war with Iran and for spending too little on NATO defense.
The leaders of the co-host countries – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney – will also participate in the event amid tensions with the unpredictable US president.
On Friday, D. Trump threatened Canada with tariffs after smoke from forest fires drifted over the northeastern US, raising concerns about air quality during the World Cup final.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s relations with Washington remain tense due to D. Trump’s extensive immigration crackdown plan and threats to take military action against drug traffickers.
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The last time the leaders of the US, Canada, and Mexico met was in December in Washington, where the World Cup draw ceremony took place.
D. Trump will also be heavily guarded – a no-fly zone will be established around the stadium when he arrives from his golf club in New Jersey.
Relations with G. Infantino
Although all attention will be focused on football, D. Trump will compete for the spotlight.
D. Trump has linked his political brand with the World Cup since returning to the Oval Office in January 2025, where he has hosted G. Infantino multiple times.
He has repeatedly boasted that during his first term he won the right for the US to host the World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, before losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, whose results he still does not recognize.
“I wasn’t supposed to be here now, I was president for eight years (…) they rigged the elections and what did I get? I got the World Cup, the Olympics,” D. Trump said on Friday.
On Friday, D. Trump also joked about wanting the US to host the World Cup together with China in the future, just a day after accusing Beijing of interfering in the 2020 elections.
“This time we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out,” he said.
A former soccer player in his youth, D. Trump even criticized England’s tactics in the World Cup semifinal, which they lost to Argentina, and coach Thomas Tuchel’s decision to choose a defensive strategy after taking the lead.
All eyes will also be on what D. Trump does on the field.
Last year, at the FIFA Club World Cup final held at the same New Jersey stadium, the winners Chelsea were “a bit confused” when D. Trump, presenting them with the trophy, remained standing on the podium while they danced.
Later, D. Trump claimed he was allowed to keep the trophy itself in the Oval Office, but FIFA stated that the displayed version was actually a replica.
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