Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino were met with boos as they appeared on the field for the presentation ceremony following the recent World Cup final. The event saw Spain secure a 1-0 victory over Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Trump’s arrival at the stadium was notable, with Marine One, the presidential helicopter, flying over the venue approximately 45 minutes before the match began. He watched the game from a glassed-in luxury section, seated alongside Infantino.
Other prominent figures in attendance 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 elicited scattered boos from some in the crowd. However, the reception intensified when he and Infantino came onto the field for the post-match presentation, with boos echoing throughout the stadium.
Post-match presentation and celebrations
Following Spain’s victory, Trump presented the World Cup trophy to the winning team. After the trophy presentation, he attempted to remain with the team during their celebrations at the side of the podium. Infantino was observed quietly ushering him away from the celebrating squad. This scene was reminiscent of a similar incident at the Club World Cup last summer, held at the same stadium, where Trump also presented the trophy to champions Chelsea and tried to join their post-match festivities, which reportedly caused bemusement among the players.
As planned, the President of the United States and Infantino jointly handed the trophy to Spain captain Rodri. After shaking hands with Trump, Rodri waited for him to clear the stage with Infantino. Instead, Trump moved towards the right side of the stage, in the opposite direction from where Infantino went. The FIFA president then crossed in front of the Spain squad, speaking to Trump and gesturing for him to move. Even as Spain lifted the trophy and confetti began to fall, Trump remained near the Spanish midfielder before shifting to his left and continuing a conversation with the FIFA president.
Presidential attendance at sporting events
Trump has made several appearances at significant sporting events since his re-election. Last year, his attendance included the Super Bowl, tennis’s US Open, the Daytona 500, and golf’s Ryder Cup. This year, he has been present at various 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.
This World Cup final marked Trump’s first attendance at a match during this summer’s tournament, which the United States co-hosted alongside Canada and Mexico. The 2026 World Cup featured 104 matches played across the three host nations, with the majority of contests taking place in the U.S.
Historically, Trump is the first sitting US president to attend a World Cup final on home soil. When the US previously hosted the tournament in 1994, his predecessor, Bill Clinton, did not attend the game. The trophy on that occasion was presented by Vice-President Al Gore. At the 2022 World Cup final, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, joined Infantino to award the trophy to Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates. In 2018, Vladimir Putin awarded the trophy to Kylian Mbappé and France after their victory at the World Cup in Russia.
Trump maintains a close relationship with Infantino. He reportedly called 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, but the situation reportedly cast a pall over the US team, who subsequently exited a promising World Cup campaign with a defeat to Belgium.
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Source: theguardian.com
