Infantino confirms Trump role
Donald Trump is expected to play a prominent part in the trophy ceremony after the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
According to Fox News’ report from Infantino’s interview on Fox & Friends, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he and the U.S. president will be together at the final and will hand over the trophy to the winners.
“We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together,” Infantino said.
The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which FIFA refers to during the tournament as New York New Jersey Stadium.
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A ceremony under fresh scrutiny
The announcement gives Trump a visible role in one of the most watched moments in world sport.
As described by Digi24, Infantino confirmed that Trump would be involved in handing the trophy to the winning team.
That would not be the first time a political leader has appeared in a World Cup trophy ceremony. In 2022, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stood alongside Infantino when Lionel Messi received the trophy after Argentina’s win over France.
But the image most supporters remember is usually simpler: the winning captain taking the trophy to the team and lifting it with the players. Any extended involvement from a political figure risks changing the focus of that moment.
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Club World Cup moment still lingers
Trump’s expected role will also be viewed through the lens of last year’s Club World Cup final.
According to Yahoo Sports’ report from the 2025 Club World Cup ceremony, Trump helped present the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James and remained on stage as the players began their celebration.
That moment drew attention because trophy lifts are normally left to the winning team. Chelsea players later appeared surprised by how long Trump stayed in the centre of the ceremony.
The same question will now follow the World Cup final: will Trump simply help present the trophy, or will he remain close to the players during the lift itself?
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FIFA’s political balancing act
The 2026 World Cup is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, making some involvement from the host countries’ leaders unsurprising.
Still, Trump’s presence carries extra political weight. His relationship with Infantino has already been highly visible, and FIFA has faced repeated questions over the closeness between football’s leadership and heads of state.
For FIFA, the trophy ceremony is supposed to be the final image of the tournament. It belongs, above all, to the players who win the World Cup.
Infantino has now made clear that Trump will be part of that moment. How large that role becomes may determine whether the ceremony is remembered for the champions, or for the politics around them.
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