Trump booed, lingers on stage at World Cup final, then calls for another US tournament

Ceremony chaos

Donald Trump made his first stadium appearance of the 2026 World Cup at the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and was met with loud boos from the crowd as he walked onto the pitch alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The US president handed medals to the Spanish players and then presented the trophy to captain Rodri. As the team gathered for the traditional winners' photo, Trump remained on the stage, standing next to the celebrating players. Infantino smiled, laughed, and then gestured more insistently for Trump to leave, but the president stayed put, grinning as golden confetti fell. The scene echoed his intrusion into Chelsea's club World Cup victory photo a year earlier.

I would not like to put the American president at the centre of a football World Cup. He does that himself enough. And accordingly, we don't need to give him another platform.

Photo editing and player reactions

Within hours, two official images of the celebration appeared without Trump. FIFA's post on X cropped the photo so tightly that only a sliver of Trump remained at the edge. The Spanish football federation went further, publishing a wider shot from which Trump had been completely retouched out. On social media, users mocked the president. One X post called him a "freak, narcissist" who refused to leave the stage. An Instagram comment noted that "it's good you can cut people out of videos and photos today."

Argentine players, who lost the final, largely avoided Trump during the medal ceremony. Defender Cristian Romero ignored the president's outstretched hand, a moment celebrated by fans online as a show of integrity. Spanish striker Borja Iglesias had said before the match that he hoped for a brief greeting with Trump, having made no secret of his opposition. Midfielder Mikel Merino briefly performed the "Trump dance", a fist-pumping gesture the president uses at rallies, in his direction before Trump stepped aside.

Trump's World Cup ambitions

Before the match, Trump told Fox News he wants to bring the tournament back to the United States "immediately". "We have to repeat this, and while I'm still here. Do you hear that, Gianni?" the 80-year-old said, addressing Infantino. He praised the "overflowing" stadiums and said he did not think there had ever been anything like this World Cup. Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House FIFA taskforce, had already floated a possible US bid for the 2038 tournament, potentially with 64 teams. The next two editions are already awarded: 2030 to Spain, Morocco and Portugal (with anniversary matches in South America), and 2034 to Saudi Arabia. Infantino has not ruled out expanding the tournament from 48 to 64 teams.

A familiar pattern

Trump's behaviour at the final mirrored his appearance at the 2025 Club World Cup, where he stood among Chelsea's players during their trophy presentation. At the World Cup, he arrived by helicopter and, according to German media, turned the closing ceremony into what one outlet called a "Trump show". Despite the boos and Infantino's nudging, he remained on the podium through the confetti shower, chatting with Spanish players before finally leaving with the FIFA president.