The White House officially confirmed Thursday that President Donald Trump plans to attend Sunday’s World Cup final, where Spain will face defending champion Argentina.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump will travel to New York City on Friday to take part in a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in Manhattan. He will then head to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for Sunday’s championship match.
The confirmation follows a statement made last month by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who indicated Trump would be on hand to present the winning trophy. Speaking on “Fox & Friends” on June 23, Infantino said, “We will be together with the president, enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course.”
World leaders have a longstanding tradition of attending World Cup finals and participating in trophy presentations, a practice seen at both the 2022 tournament in Qatar and the 2018 event in Russia.
This marks Trump’s first attendance at any match during the current World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Neither Trump nor Vice President JD Vance had attended any of the 102 games played prior to this announcement. Cabinet members, however, did appear at matches involving the U.S. men’s national team in California and Seattle.
“His attendance will cap what has been the most-watched, most secure and most successful World Cup in American history,” Leavitt said.
The United States previously hosted the Men’s World Cup just once before, back in 1994.
Trump has made a habit of attending major sporting events during his time in office, including the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, the Ryder Cup, and the Daytona 500. In November 2024, he attended a UFC event at Madison Square Garden, and last month he was present for UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn, as well as Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
Trump also has a connection to Sunday’s venue — last summer, he was at the same stadium for the Club World Cup Final, where he shared the stage as English club Chelsea lifted the trophy.
Infantino and Trump previously teamed up to announce that the World Cup draw would be held last December at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Infantino also presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at that time.
The World Cup has not been without controversy involving Trump. He acknowledged reaching out to Infantino to push for a review of the red-card suspension handed to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, who received the ban following a foul during a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.
Balogun was automatically ruled out of the round of 16 match against Belgium on July 6 as a result. Infantino confirmed he received Trump’s call and that Trump publicly urged for Balogun to be allowed to play, though the FIFA president maintained he did not step into the decision-making process.
On July 5, FIFA suspended the one-game ban, allowing Balogun to take the field despite the surrounding controversy. Belgium ultimately knocked the U.S. out of the tournament with a 4-1 victory.
