White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Donald Trump will be in New Jersey for Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, and Gianni Infantino will be right there with him for the trophy handoff. The moment gives the match a little extra flash, but the bigger story is the scale of the event and the way the U.S. has handled hosting duties on one of soccer’s biggest stages.
Leavitt called Trump’s attendance “a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America’s ability to host the world on the grandest stage.” That kind of language fits the mood around this final, where the spotlight is not just on the teams but on the stadium, the crowd, and the logistics that keep everything moving without a hitch. It is the kind of night where the whole setup matters almost as much as the game itself.
Infantino had already hinted that Trump would be there, but now it is official. He also said the two will step onto the field together to present the trophy to the winning captain, which gives the ceremony a familiar feel for anyone who followed last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final at the same venue.
That earlier appearance came after Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0, and Trump stayed on stage during the celebration. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer later said, “I knew he was going to be here, but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused,” which only added to the buzz around the event.
Trump has also been drawn into the tournament’s more dramatic side. He reportedly called Infantino and pushed for a review of Folarin Balogun’s red card, a decision that initially threatened to keep the U.S. player out of a Round of 16 match before he was ruled eligible after all.
Trump explained his view in blunt terms: “All I did was I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” he said. “And, again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled. That was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything, that would be different.
“I think it’s a terrible … if they wouldn’t allow a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best on the team, to play, I think it would have had a big stain. I relayed it. I didn’t tell him what to do. I don’t believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision because, No. 1, it wasn’t a foul, and you want to see a game with your best players.”
Balogun later told CBS he “could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves” as the situation grew more intense. That kind of pressure can creep into a team fast, especially when a single call starts to overshadow the build-up to a huge match.
Trump has not yet attended a World Cup match in person, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present for the U.S. men’s opener against Paraguay, a 4-1 win on June 12. The president also received the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize at the Kennedy Center during the World Cup final draw in December, another sign of how closely his name has been tied to this tournament.
He has been popping up around other major sports scenes too, including Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. With the White House also hosting UFC Freedom 250 last month and an IndyCar race set for Washington, D.C. next month, Trump keeps showing up where the energy is loud, the crowd is huge, and the cameras never seem to blink.
