Despite lingering questions surrounding his attendance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, Donald Trump was in the building at MetLife Stadium to take part in the tournament’s crowning moment.
In a move that mirrors previous iterations of the tournament, Trump’s role in presenting the 2026 World Cup trophy marks a deliberate return to a long-standing soccer tradition involving host-nation heads of state.
However, he won’t be flying solo during the trophy presentation, as FIFA President Gianni Infantino will join him on the podium to hand over the silverware to the newly crowned champions. The joint presentation follows standard FIFA protocol, which has anchored the tournament’s closing ceremonies for decades.
Following intense speculation over which artist would perform the US national anthem during the 2026 World Cup closing ceremony, Trump’s high-profile appearance serves as a prominent American presence on the global stage after the USMNT suffered a Round of 16 exit at the hands of Belgium.
Trump and Infantino before the World Cup
The history of Heads of State presenting the World Cup trophy
Historically, the tradition of having the host country’s head of state—including presidents, monarchs, and prime ministers—present the iconic trophy to the winning captain alongside the FIFA president was standard practice for decades.
While FIFA departed from this protocol in 2018 and 2022 by having Infantino hand over the trophy solo to France and Argentina respectively, the tradition was revived on the pitch at MetLife Stadium for the 2026 World Cup Final.
The list of notable political leaders and heads of state who have personally handed the FIFA World Cup trophy to tournament winners includes:
- Albert Lebrun (France — 1938)
- King Gustaf VI Adolf (Sweden— 1958)
- Jorge Alessandri (Chile — 1962)
- Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom — 1966)
- Gustavo Diaz Ordaz (Mexico — 1970)
- Johannes Rau (Germany — 1974)
- Jorge Rafael Videla (Argentina — 1978)
- King Juan Carlos I (Spain — 1982)
- Miguel de la Madrid (Mexico — 1986)
- Dr. Francesco Cossiga (Italy — 1990)
- Al Gore (Vice-president) (United States — 1990)
- President Jacques Chirac (France — 1998)
- Junichiro Koizumi (Prime Minister of Japan) and Kim Dae-jung (President of South Korea) (Japan and South Korea — 2002)
- Jacob Zuma (South Africa — 2010)
- Dilma Rousseff (Brazil — 2014)
- Donald Trump (United States — 2026)
