Donald Trump Set to Present World Cup Trophy To Winners After The Final
United States President Donald Trump will break from recent World Cup protocol by helping to present the trophy at the upcoming World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19th.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed the arrangement during a Tuesday morning appearance on Fox News, clarifying that the presentation at MetLife Stadium would be a joint effort.
"We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together," Infantino said.
When questioned about whether they would share the stage for the formal presentation, Infantino reiterated that they have a close relationship, adding: "Of course, we are together all the time."
The co-presentation represents a distinct shift from the structure seen at the 2018 tournament in Russia and the 2022 edition in Qatar. In both of those previous events, Infantino solo-presented the iconic prize to the winning captains.
While recent history has typically seen FIFA leadership handle the honors alone, the involvement of a head of state is not entirely unprecedented. Queen Elizabeth II famously presented the silverware to England's Bobby Moore in 1966, and King Juan Carlos of Spain handed the prize to Italy's Dino Zoff in 1982.
The 80-year-old American president has not attended a match at the tournament yet due to his demanding schedule. Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House's World Cup task force, noted that Trump prefers to "leave people watching" and has had to navigate a packed calendar. His recent sports appearances include a UFC event at the White House and attending game three of the NBA Finals in New York.
The decision to share presentation duties follows an unusual incident during last summer's FIFA Club World Cup final at the very same New Jersey venue. After Chelsea secured a 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, Trump was invited onto the winners' podium to hand the silverware to Chelsea captain Reece James.
However, rather than making a quick exit, Trump remained on the stage, blending into the team's victory celebrations alongside a group of visibly perplexed players. Reflecting on the moment, James noted the unexpected turn of events.
"They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay," James said.
The post-match festivities took another interesting turn later on, when the official trophy was seen inside the Oval Office. Reports later revealed that Chelsea had been given a replica version to take home instead.
While Infantino continues his hectic schedule of attending up to two matches a day across the three host nations, all eyes will be on the final in East Rutherford to see how the unique presentation unfolds.
