FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed Tuesday that Donald Trump will attend the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 and co-present the championship trophy. "We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course," Infantino said on Fox & Friends. "Of course, we are together all the time."
That last line tells you everything about how Infantino has managed this relationship. He gave Trump FIFA's first-ever "Peace Prize" last year and told him he could "always count on my support, on the support of the entire soccer community." The FIFA chief has been nakedly transactional about the alliance — and it's worked. The tournament is running, the U.S. is hosting, and now the American president gets to stand on the podium when a world champion is crowned.
What this means for the final's optics
MetLife Stadium — the home of the Giants and Jets — will host the biggest sporting event on the planet, with a sitting U.S. president physically handing over the most recognizable trophy in sport. For a country that has spent decades trying to convince itself it cares about soccer, that image carries weight. Whether you like Trump or not, his presence on that stage signals to a global audience that America is fully invested in this tournament now.
It also raises the stakes on the USMNT's run. The Americans have won their first two group stage matches and are already through to the knockout round, which begins next week. If this squad somehow navigates to the final on home soil — which is still a long road — the trophy ceremony becomes something else entirely.
Trump has been a fixture at major events lately: NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, a game in Tuscaloosa, a UFC fight on the White House lawn. The World Cup Final is the biggest stage yet, and Infantino made sure he's on it.
