Donald Trump To Present FIFA World Cup Trophy With Gianni Infantino at 2026 Final
US President Donald Trump will jointly present the FIFA World Cup trophy to the winning team's captain at the 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed. The move marks a departure from recent FIFA tradition, under which the FIFA president alone handed over the trophy to the champions.
US President Donald Trump will jointly present the FIFA World Cup trophy to the winning team's captain at the 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed. The move marks a departure from recent FIFA tradition, under which the FIFA president alone handed over the trophy to the champions.
Infantino announced the decision during an appearance on "Fox & Friends," confirming that he and Trump will take part in the post-match trophy ceremony at MetLife Stadium. The final will be one of the most-watched sporting events globally and will conclude the first FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Donald Trump To Present FIFA World Cup Trophy
Speaking about the World Cup final, Infantino said: "We will be together with the president [Trump] enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together."
He added: "We are together all the time." Under recent FIFA protocol, the World Cup trophy was presented by the FIFA president. Infantino handed the trophy to the winning captains at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The decision represents a notable change from recent ceremonies overseen by FIFA leadership. While FIFA presidents have traditionally handed the trophy to the winning captain in modern tournaments, heads of state have played a prominent role in past World Cup presentations.
In 1982, King Juan Carlos of Spain presented the trophy to Italy captain Dino Zoff after Italy's World Cup triumph. Similarly, Queen Elizabeth II handed the trophy to England captain Bobby Moore following England's victory in the 1966 World Cup.
The announcement follows Trump's involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup final trophy presentation last year, also held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Following Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, Trump joined Infantino in presenting medals and the trophy to players and match officials. The ceremony attracted attention after Trump remained on stage during Chelsea's trophy celebrations.
Chelsea midfielder 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." The appearance came one year after an assassination attempt on Trump during a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. Trump's participation in the trophy ceremony is expected to make the event one of the most high-profile World Cup presentations in recent history, combining FIFA's traditional championship celebration with the involvement of a sitting U.S. president.
The final will conclude a month-long tournament hosted across North America and is expected to attract a global television audience of hundreds of millions.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2026 09:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
