U.S. President Donald Trump is set to return to the World Cup stage at Sunday’s championship match, arriving fresh off one of the tournament’s most talked-about controversies and already eyeing a future bid for America to host the event again in 2038.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that Trump will be seated alongside him during the final between Argentina and Spain at New York/New Jersey Stadium. Trump is also expected to hand the trophy to the winning team — a role he previously performed at last year’s Club World Cup.
The appearance comes just days after Trump publicly confirmed he had asked Infantino to take another look at the red card handed to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, a move that sparked a fierce debate about fairness and the integrity of officiating at the tournament.
On Friday, Trump and Infantino exchanged warm words at a reception held inside Trump Tower in Manhattan, where FIFA established an office last year. The event drew roughly 300 guests, among them Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo, FIFA officials, and various dignitaries.
“This World Cup would not have been such a success without you,” Infantino told Trump during the gathering.
“It turned out we were a soccer country,” Trump responded. He has frequently welcomed Infantino for meetings at the White House’s Oval Office.
The two have remained firmly in each other’s corner throughout a series of controversies surrounding the tournament, which is also co-hosted by Canada and Mexico. FIFA has maintained that Trump had no influence over the decision to suspend Balogun’s red-card ban.
In the lead-up to the tournament, U.S. host cities faced pointed questions about how they planned to make international visitors feel welcome amid Trump’s immigration enforcement actions and travel restrictions affecting several countries. Later, Trump threatened to pull matches from cities led by Democratic officials, though FIFA pushed back, stating that such decisions were not his to make.
At Friday’s reception, Trump floated the idea of the U.S. hosting the World Cup again, adding, “This time we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out.”
Trump has made a habit of appearing at high-profile sporting events over the past 18 months, a period during which his approval ratings in his second term have continued to decline. He received an enthusiastic welcome from American fans at last year’s Ryder Cup on New York’s Long Island, but his reception hasn’t always been as warm. He was loudly booed at Game 3 of the NBA Finals last month and drew the ire of tennis fans who were locked outside last year’s U.S. Open men’s final at Flushing Meadows well past the scheduled start time due to security requirements for his visit.
Trump’s presence at Sunday’s match presents a particular challenge for U.S. broadcaster Fox Sports, which relies on a shared international feed for its match coverage.
“We do take this world feed. So we’re not in control of the pictures. And so whether or not there’s a cutaway during the match to President Trump sitting next to Gianni Infantino, sitting next to whoever else, that’s not our choice one way or the other,” said play-by-play announcer John Strong. “We also don’t know when it’s coming.”
FIFA officially awarded the tournament to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico back in 2018, during Trump’s first term in office — a fact he has repeatedly cited with pride. Strong acknowledged the divided reaction Trump tends to generate among viewers.
“When it comes to President Trump, there are no neutral opinions,” Strong said. “There’s a lot of people in the audience who are super excited to see him at the game. And there’s going to be a lot of people in the audience who maybe are less thrilled to have him on their TV screen.”
