The last time Donald Trump hung around for a team trophy celebration, Chelsea players looked visibly uncomfortable as the former president lingered on the pitch. Now, with the 2026 World Cup final just weeks away, reports indicate the 80-year-old is set to repeat the performance — and this time, FIFA is giving him the green light.
According to talkSPORT, Trump has been “given license” to join the winning team for the trophy lift at the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The report claims FIFA has “no objection to Trump breaking presentation protocol” and actually “wish him” to hand the trophy to the winning captain.
Typically, the World Cup trophy sits on a plinth until the captain carries it to the podium. FIFA will reportedly leave it to Trump’s own discretion whether he stays with the team after the handoff. White House insiders believe he will choose to join the celebrations again, just as he did during last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey.
That moment last summer caused a stir. After Chelsea blew past Paris Saint-Germain 3-0, Trump handed over the trophy but refused to leave. FIFA president Gianni Infantino tried to usher him off the field, but Trump stood his ground as the Blues celebrated. The awkward scene was widely discussed in soccer circles, with some players later suggesting they felt pressured to include him in their moment.
FIFA’s Tightening Bond with the White House
Infantino has cultivated a notably close relationship with Trump over the last few years, particularly as the 2026 World Cup — co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — approaches. At the tournament draw last December, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. Three months later, the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran. The timing drew criticism from human rights groups, but the FIFA president has shown no signs of backing away from the partnership.
For Trump, appearing at the World Cup final is both a political and personal opportunity. The event will draw a global audience of hundreds of millions, and joining the trophy lift places him at the center of one of the year’s most-watched sporting moments. Critics argue it politicizes the sport unnecessarily, but FIFA’s hands-off approach suggests the organization sees value in having the U.S. president involved.
The final kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on July 19 — that’s 3 p.m. Eastern, prime time for American viewers. MetLife Stadium, temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament, will host what could be the most politically charged trophy ceremony in World Cup history.
Whether the winning team will embrace Trump’s presence remains an open question. Players from several nations have publicly criticized U.S. foreign policy, and some federation officials have privately expressed discomfort with the arrangement. But with FIFA explicitly sanctioning the move, any pushback would likely fall on deaf ears inside the organizing committee.
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