Infantino says the US president is there with him for the trophy ceremony on July 19 in New Jersey, thus ending ten years of FIFA-only practice, which experience shows will result in trouble if Trump gets on that football platform and refuses to get off.
The greatest day for football just gained an even more controversial presenter. According to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, US President Donald Trump will be by his side in the field of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, to present the FIFA World Cup trophy to the winning captain marking the departure from the past two occasions, when the presentation was conducted solely by Infantino, and setting off yet another heated debate on politics rather than on football.
When Trump climbs up the World Cup podium
The football world was treated to an advance look at the Trump World Cup 2026 prize giving ceremony and it is not done according to protocol. During the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup where the stadium that will host the 2026 World Cup will be hosted, Trump climbed the podium to present the trophy to Chelsea for their 3-0 victory against PSG.
After presenting the trophy, he did not go down and just stayed there. Infantino politely tried to move him down from the stage but it was all in vain. Trump stayed there and got involved in the celebrations.
While the 2026 Trump World Cup final will be played before an audience far greater in number, the 2026 Trump World Cup final game will likely be one of the most watched individual sports events in history.
A real departure from FIFA’s recent tradition
In his two previous World Cups, the 2022 edition in Qatar and 2018 edition in Russia, Infantino followed a pattern of handing over the trophy personally, irrespective of the host country’s political leadership. Both Emir of Qatar and Vladimir Putin were present at their respective finals but did not take part in the trophy awarding ceremony.
The active involvement of President Trump in the ceremony completely transforms this equation as this is the first time in decades that a head of government is involved in the trophy presentation ceremony.
- 1966: Queen Elizabeth II gives the trophy to England captain Bobby Moore at Wembley stadium — England has never won another World Cup since then.
- 1982: King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, gives the trophy to Italy captain Dino Zoff in the wake of Italy’s third world title.
- 2018: Vladimir Putin is present at the Moscow final, but does not give out the trophy – this is done by Infantino alone.
- 2022: Emir of Qatar gives a bisht to Messi, but the trophy presentation is solely done by Infantino.
- 2026: Trump confirms joint trophy presentation along with Infantino on July 19 at MetLife Stadium.
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The Trump-Infantino friendship underlying the decision
The decision is not an arbitrary one. Trump and Infantino have maintained a public friendship ever since FIFA bestowed on Trump the FIFA Peace Prize at the draw ceremony of the World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington in December 2025.
Trump formed the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which had Andrew Giuliani as its executive director, and has made it central to American soft power policy under his presidency. In response to a query about presenting the trophy along with Trump, Infantino stated: “Of course, we are always together.”
Trump has not yet gone to any match
Despite his substantial institutional involvement in the tournament, Trump has not been to any World Cup 2026 matches up to June 24, although the Secretary of State Marco Rubio was at the United States’ 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 12.
The president watched a match of the NBA finals held at Madison Square Garden, where he got heckled by the Knicks fans, and hosted the UFC Freedom 250 in the White House on his 80th birthday.
What the ceremony on July 19 is really going to be like
The event has so many people from around the world watching with interest because there will be Donald Trump, who will present the World Cup trophy.
It all means a lot for more than just the football players – whether the captain of the winning side takes the trophy easily, how long will Trump stay on the field, and whether he will be led off the stage by Infantino before the celebrating starts; all these questions will be discussed as widely as the game itself.
Nayab Fatima is a university graduate and an emerging media professional with a strong passion for journalism, research, and independent reporting. She specializes in developing well-researched, fact-based, and analytical news stories covering a wide range of sectors, with particular expertise in technology, telecommunications, aviation, and the automobile industry.
