Trump to present trophy at Spain-Argentina World Cup final amid human rights criticism

The match and the officials

The 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will kick off at 21:00 CEST on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, 46, will take charge of his first World Cup final, his fourth match of the tournament. He previously officiated the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund and the round-of-16 match where co-host Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0. German Bastian Dankert, also 46, will serve as video assistant referee, his 12th assignment of the tournament. The third-place match between France and England is scheduled for Saturday.

Trump's first stadium visit

US President Donald Trump will attend the final, his first appearance at a stadium during the five-week tournament. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Trump would travel to New York on Friday for a FIFA reception at Trump Tower, then go to the final on Sunday. FIFA had already announced in late June that Trump would present the World Cup trophy after the match. Leavitt described the tournament as the "most watched, safest, and most successful World Cup in American history." Trump missed the opening match, a departure from the custom that the host nation's head of state attends. He was, however, present at the draw, where FIFA president Gianni Infantino gave him a "FIFA Peace Prize." Trump also intervened after US striker Folarin Balogun was sent off, calling Infantino; the red-card suspension was later reduced to probation. Trump's relationship with Infantino has drawn scrutiny. At the draw, Infantino presented him with a golden trophy and medal, which Trump called "one of the greatest honours of my life." A replica of the World Cup trophy sits in the White House, and Infantino told Trump he could keep the original Club World Cup trophy after the 2025 tournament.

Royalty in the stands, superstition at home

Spanish King Felipe VI will be in the stadium to support Spain, the Spanish royal house confirmed. Argentine President Javier Milei, however, will not travel to New York. He has watched every Argentina match on television and said he will do the same for the final out of superstition. His absence may avoid an awkward encounter: Trump has recently criticised Spain over its NATO spending.

Human rights groups condemn the tournament

On the eve of the final, human rights organisations delivered a sharp rebuke to FIFA. Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch said the World Cup had unfolded "against the backdrop of the repressive approach of the US government towards immigrants" and that FIFA failed to uphold its own human rights standards.

This World Cup took place against the backdrop of the repressive approach of the US government towards immigrants.

Daniel Noroña of Amnesty International USA pointed to a doubling of arrests by ICE and noted that the French national team travelled to the semifinal on a plane that had been used the previous day to deport people to Nicaragua.

The cruelty continues — and it does not stop.

Ronan Evain of Football Supporters Europe criticised opaque visa procedures, saying there was "little or no evidence" that ticket holders from Africa and Asia received US visas. Most fans from those regions in the stadiums were US residents, he said.

It was a World Cup for a lucky few.

Gypsy Guillen Kaiser of the Committee to Protect Journalists raised concerns about the treatment of journalists, and Lily Dong Li Rosengard of an international LGBT umbrella group said members of the LGBT community did not feel welcome. "That was not an inclusive World Cup," she said.