“Donald Trump is expected to be on the podium at the 2026 World Cup final, not as a spectator, but as one of the men handing over football’s biggest prize.”
Donald Trump will present the World Cup trophy to the winners of the 2026 final alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, in a move that is likely to stir fresh debate over politics, spectacle and how closely football’s governing body has tied itself to the US president.
Infantino said Trump will join him at the final on 19 July at the New York New Jersey Stadium and take part in the trophy presentation, confirming that the plan is for the two men to hand over the prize together. He made the announcement during an interview with Fox & Friends, saying: “We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course.” When asked if the presentation would be shared, he added: “Of course, we are together all the time.”
That last line is probably the real headline here.
Trump and Infantino have built a visibly close relationship in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, but with most of the political spotlight falling on the US leg of the tournament. Trump has already appeared at major FIFA-related events, including the Club World Cup final last year, where he handed the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James and then stayed on the podium during the celebrations instead of stepping aside. The moment drew puzzled reactions from players and quickly became one of the stranger images of the tournament.
That earlier scene is part of why this latest announcement is getting attention.
At the Club World Cup final, players had expected Trump to present the trophy and leave the stage. Instead, he remained front and centre as Chelsea lifted it. Reece James later said he had been told Trump would exit after the handover, while teammate Cole Palmer admitted he was “a bit confused” to see him still there during the celebration. So when Infantino now says Trump will also be involved in the World Cup final presentation, it is not hard to see why some fans will wonder whether football’s biggest moment is about to turn into another political photo-op.
The decision also breaks a recent pattern.
At the last two men’s World Cups, in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, it was Infantino who presented the trophy. This time, FIFA appears happy to share that closing image with Trump, who has made sport a visible part of his public calendar and has already been appearing at big-ticket events in the New York area, including the US Open, Ryder Cup and NBA Finals.
For Infantino, it is another sign of how he has chosen to manage this World Cup: by leaning hard into his relationship with the White House rather than keeping political distance from it.
That relationship has been visible for months. Trump was awarded FIFA’s first Peace Prize during the World Cup final draw in late 2025, and he has repeatedly been placed near the centre of FIFA’s US-facing events. The 2026 tournament was always going to have political undertones because it is spread across three countries and arrives in the middle of a tense period in North American politics. But this latest move makes the overlap harder to ignore.
And it may not go down quietly with supporters.
Trump has drawn mixed and often hostile reactions at major sporting events in recent years, including boos at some appearances. The World Cup final is supposed to be one of the cleanest, most universal moments in sport the kind of ceremony where the winning team gets the stage and almost nobody else matters. Putting a polarising political figure at the centre of that image risks distracting from the players, especially if the ceremony turns into a repeat of last year’s awkward Club World Cup scene.
Still, FIFA clearly does not see that as a reason to back off.
Infantino’s comments suggest the arrangement is already settled. So barring a late change, the captain lifting the World Cup in New Jersey next month will not just be receiving the trophy from the head of FIFA. He will be taking it from Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump together.
And if the Club World Cup was any guide, the handover may not be the end of Trump’s role on that stage.
