Donald Trump will attend Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
- Gianni Infantino said Trump will present the World Cup trophy together with the Fifa president at the final.
- Trump lobbied Infantino to review USA star Folarin Balogun's red card; Fifa reversed the ban amid political fallout for the US team.
- Trump has regularly attended major sporting events, often meeting boos; he will attend a Fifa reception at Trump Tower.
“We look forward to the final match on Sunday, and I know the president looks forward to attending,” Leavitt said. “This is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America’s ability to host the world on the grandest stage.”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has said that Trump will hand the World Cup trophy to the winners at New Jersey New York Stadium. Infantino re-iterated those plans in an interview with Swiss outlet Blue Sport this week.
“Yes, hopefully we’ll present the trophy together in the final,” Infantino said. “That’s always been the plan, and that’s how it’s always been done in the past – the president of the country where the final is held presents the trophy together with the Fifa president.”
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. Vladimir Putin awarded it to Kylian Mbappé and France after their win at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Trump was front and center for the final of last summer’s Club World Cup at the same stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, presenting the trophy to champions Chelsea and drawing loud boos from the crowd.
While Trump has not yet attended a game at this World Cup, he has nevertheless played a significant role. He has a close relationship with Infantino, and called the Fifa president to lobby 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 political circus cast a pall over the US team, who exited a promising World Cup with a flat loss to Belgium.
Trump has made several appearances at sporting events since his reelection. Last year, he attended the Super Bowl, tennis’s US Open, the Daytona 500 and golf’s Ryder Cup. This year, he has attended several 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.
Leavitt told reporters that she did not know which team Trump was supporting in the final.
“I’m sure he’ll have a fun answer for you,” she told reporters.
Leavitt also said Trump will attend a Fifa reception at Trump Tower in New York City on Friday. Soccer’s governing body opened an office in the building last year.
