“The most successful sporting event in history”: Trump expected at the World Cup final

This will be both the first match he will attend and the last of this 2026 World Cup co-organized by the United States, with Canada and Mexico. Donald Trump will be on Sunday July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to present the trophy to the winner of the Argentina – Spain clash.

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Despite a deluge of criticism questioning the fairness of the competition, the American president considered that the 2026 World Cup “was perhaps the most successful sporting event in the history of the world”. “It was incredible,” Donald Trump said Friday during a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York.

He also said that the World Cup helped popularize “soccer” in the United States, where baseball, basketball and American football remain king. “It turned out that we were a football country, and I think that will continue,” assured Donald Trump.

Although he stayed away from the field, the White House host caused controversy during the tournament, after confirming that he had made a call to his friend and Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, to overturn the red card inflicted on a player of the American team, Folarin Balogun.

This decision allowed the striker to be lined up against Belgium in the round of 16, a match ultimately won by the Red Devils (4-1).

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Claudia Sheinbaum and Mark Carney will be present

If Argentine President Javier Milei gave up making the trip out of superstition, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the royal family will attend the final, despite criticism from Donald Trump who accuses Madrid of not having provided assistance in the war against Iran.

Despite tensions with Washington, the leaders of the co-organizing countries, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, will also be present.

Donald Trump has threatened to impose new customs duties on Canada, accused of “deliberate negligence” due to the forest fires which have smoked part of the neighboring United States and raised concerns about the quality of the air which will be breathed during the World Cup final, in an open-air stadium.

Relations also remain tense with southern neighbor Mexico over the US administration’s crackdown on immigration and its threats of military intervention against drug traffickers.

The last meeting between the American, Canadian and Mexican leaders dates back to the draw for the World Cup in Washington in December.

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The arrival at the stadium of Donald Trump, who will come by plane from his golf course in New Jersey, will take place under high security, with a no-fly zone around the enclosure. Football will be the center of attention but the American president could seek to shine the spotlight on himself.

The octogenarian, who briefly played football in his youth, criticized the United Kingdom team’s playing tactics in their semi-final loss to Argentina and coach Thomas Tuchel’s choice to adopt a defensive strategy.

Last year, when he had just presented the trophy of the new Club World Cup in the same stadium in East Rutherford to the Chelsea players, his presence on the stage while the players celebrated their victory by dancing was surprising to say the least.

The Republican president, who has received Gianni Infantino on numerous occasions since his return to power in January 2025, has boasted several times of having obtained the organization of the World Cup by the United States and that of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 during his first term.

With AFP