Donald Trump dramatically reaches the FIFA World Cup final
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final had not even begun when United States President Donald Trump stole the show, making a dramatic entrance into MetLife Stadium aboard the presidential helicopter, Marine One, before sitting alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the title match between Argentina and Spain.Trump’s arrival marks his first appearance in a match during the tournament and highlights the political importance of the World Cup, which is jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Before kick-off, television cameras captured images of the US President holding the famous World Cup trophy alongside Infantino ahead of the presentation ceremony he was due to hold after the final whistle.Trump had previously spoken about the tournament’s impact on football in the United States.“It turns out we are a soccer nation, and I think we will remain that way,” Trump said during a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York on Friday. “It really brought the world together.”Watch: Donald Trump’s dramatic arrival
Trump is already putting forward another bid for the United States to host the World Cup
Even before the final began, Trump was looking beyond the 2026 tournament, publicly urging FIFA to award another World Cup to the United States.Speaking to Fox Sports, the president joked that FIFA should announce another American hosting bid immediately.
“I had a great idea for Gianni: You should do two states. Announce us again next time, and then announce another one after that. That will relieve some of the anger and shock,” Trump said.He added: “Based on the numbers, we will ask for it again immediately.”In response to a question about predicting the outcome of the final match between Argentina and Spain, Trump refused to choose the winner, but admitted the difficulty of betting on Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina.He said: “I think it is very difficult to bet against Messi. He is great.”