Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Donald Trump will co-present the World Cup trophy to the winning team at the final on 19 July at MetLife Stadium — making a sitting US president one of the faces of football's most sacred ceremonial moment. According to ESPN FC and The Guardian, Infantino pointed to the closeness of his relationship with Trump as the reason, describing the pair as being together frequently in the lead-up to the tournament. Whether you find that reassuring or deeply odd probably tells you everything about where you stand on both men.
Infantino made the confirmation on 23 June 2026, framing Trump's involvement as a natural extension of the working relationship the two have built around the tournament. FIFA's 2026 edition is the first expanded 48-team World Cup, co-hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico — and from the moment the US won hosting rights, the Trump administration's fingerprints have been visible on the project.
The trophy presentation at a World Cup final is not a minor footnote. It is the image that travels — the one that gets printed, framed, and replayed for decades. Pelé lifting the Jules Rimet. Mandela handing Francois Pienaar the Rugby World Cup. The person standing in that moment becomes part of the story, whether football wanted them there or not.
The Guardian has noted that Trump has barely mentioned the tournament since it kicked off on 11 June — which sits at a slight angle to Infantino's claim that the two are together all the time. That gap between the public record and the FIFA president's warm framing is the kind of thing that tends to follow a story around.
It is also unclear, at this stage, whether Trump will share the presentation duties with Infantino or take the moment alone. The exact choreography on the night has not been confirmed by either party.
FIFA has never been shy about proximity to heads of state — the organisation has a long history of cultivating relationships with whoever holds power in a host nation. But Trump is not simply a host-nation president in the traditional sense. He is one of the most polarising political figures on the planet, and handing him a co-starring role in the final's ceremony will land very differently depending on which side of the world — or which side of American politics — you are watching from.
Infantino has spent much of this cycle presenting the 2026 World Cup as a unifying, borderless event. Placing Trump centre-stage at the trophy lift is a choice that complicates that framing considerably. Whether it matters to the billions watching probably depends on who wins — and how long the camera lingers.
Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Donald Trump will co-present the World Cup trophy to the winning team at the final on 19 July at MetLife Stadium
Sources
The Guardian — Football, ESPN FC, The Athletic — Football
Flagside articles are original write-ups synthesised from multiple sources. We cite every outlet that fed into the piece.
Pick of the night's matches, what the transfer window's doing, and the one column you should read today. No ads. No tips. No operators.
One-click unsubscribe. We do not share emails.
“Stays on World Cup — different angle, same beat.”
Fans spent chunks of the 2026 World Cup watching players sip water while the momentum drained out of perfectly good matches. Gianni Infantino, apparently, was fine with that — and according to ESPN FC
“Stays on World Cup — different angle, same beat.”
Fans spent chunks of the 2026 World Cup watching players sip water while the momentum drained out of perfectly good matches. Gianni Infantino, apparently, was fine with that — and according to ESPN FC
