Trump to attend World Cup final between Spain and Argentina

U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday between Spain and defending champion Argentina, the White House confirmed on Thursday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will first attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York City on Friday before traveling to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for Sunday's championship match.

The confirmation comes after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month that he and Trump would present the World Cup trophy to the tournament winner.

Infantino made the announcement during a June 23 appearance on Fox & Friends, saying they would attend the final together and participate in the trophy presentation.

It is common for heads of state to attend FIFA World Cup finals, with several world leaders having joined trophy ceremonies in previous tournaments, including Qatar in 2022 and Russia in 2018.

Despite the United States serving as one of the tournament's co-hosts alongside Canada and Mexico, neither Trump nor Vice President JD Vance has attended any of the World Cup's 102 matches so far. However, members of Trump's Cabinet have attended several U.S. men's national team matches in California and Seattle.

Leavitt described Trump's appearance as the culmination of what she called "the most-watched, most secure and most successful World Cup in American history."

The United States last hosted the FIFA Men's World Cup in 1994.

Throughout his two terms in office, Trump has regularly attended major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, the Ryder Cup, the Daytona 500, UFC events, and NBA Finals games. He also attended last summer's FIFA Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, where he joined the trophy presentation as Chelsea celebrated its victory.

Trump and Infantino have maintained a visible relationship in recent months. In December, they jointly announced that the FIFA World Cup draw would be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Infantino also presented Trump with FIFA's inaugural Peace Prize.

Earlier in the tournament, Trump publicly urged FIFA to reconsider the red-card suspension issued to United States forward Folarin Balogun following his dismissal during a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.

Balogun was initially suspended for the Round of 16 match against Belgium, but FIFA lifted the one-game ban on July 5, making him eligible to play. FIFA said the decision was made through its disciplinary process, with Infantino stating that he did not intervene despite receiving a call from Trump. The United States was later eliminated by Belgium with a 4-1 defeat.

-Field Level Media/Reuters