- US President Donald Trump will become the first sitting U.S. president to ever personally hand over the FIFA World Cup trophy.
- The joint handoff marks a return to a tradition where the host nation’s leader presents the trophy.
- Despite being one of Trump’s most prominent international allies, Argentine President Javier Milei has declined the invitation to attend the final alongside him.
US President Donald Trump will attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday to jointly present the World Cup trophy to either Spain or Argentina, the White House officially confirmed on Friday afternoon.
Trump is set to become the first sitting U.S. president to ever hand over football’s biggest prize.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the decision during a Thursday briefing.
“We look forward to the final match on Sunday, and I know the president looks forward to attending,” Leavitt told reporters. “His attendance will cap what has been the most watched, most secure, and most successful World Cup in American history. This is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America’s ability to host the world on the grandest stage.”
Trump will become the first sitting United States president to ever hand over the FIFA World Cup trophy.
When the U.S. previously hosted the tournament in 1994, then-President Bill Clinton deferred presentation duties at the Rose Bowl to Vice President Al Gore.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino framed the joint presentation as a deliberate return to a grand global tradition.
While recent finals in Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) saw host leaders Vladimir Putin and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani join the stage, the FIFA president had taken sole responsibility for placing the trophy into the winning captain’s hands.
“Yes, hopefully we’ll present the trophy together in the final,” Infantino told Swiss outlet Blue Sport. “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.”
The final marks Trump’s first in-person appearance at a match during this tournament, following a highly publicized political storm earlier in the knockout stages.
Trump previously intervened in the sporting side of the tournament by publicly lobbying FIFA to review a controversial one-match red card suspension handed to US men’s national team star striker Folarin Balogun.
While FIFA ultimately suspended the ban, the surrounding media circus cast a heavy shadow over the U.S. squad, which subsequently crashed out of the tournament in a 4-1 Round of 16 loss to Belgium.
Notably absent from the VIP box will be one of Trump’s most prominent international political allies, Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei confirmed he declined an invitation to sit alongside Trump and Infantino, citing strict superstition.
Milei has watched all seven of Argentina’s matches from his home residence in Olivos and intends to stay put to avoid breaking his team’s winning streak.