Evening Standard
·19 July 2026
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Yahoo sportsEvening Standard
·19 July 2026
United States president left Chelsea players baffled by his appearance in the Club World Cup trophy presentation
After a month of action, the 2026 World Cup will come to a close this evening as Spain and Argentina go toe-to-toe in the final.
Plenty of heads of state and dignitaries are expected to be in attendance at the match, along with the great and the good of the sporting world - though Argentina president Javier Milei will be absent.
Despite being a well-known sports fan, President Donald Trump has, for the most part, steered well clear of this World Cup, choosing not to attend any of the United States’ five matches as they crashed out in the last-16.
He has meddled in the tournament, though. Before proceedings got underway, he threatened to strip host stadiums in Democrat-run cities of their matches and made calls to FIFA before USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban was surreptitiously suspended before the last-16.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, with whom Trump shares a close personal relationship, faced calls to resign after the incident.

Chelsea players were unsure how to proceed when President Donald Trump refused to leave the stage after presenting them with the Club World Cup trophy
Getty Images
Trump went somewhat viral last summer when he refused to leave the stage after presenting Chelsea with the Club World Cup trophy.
He was loudly booed and appeared to exchange words with Reece James and Cole Palmer in doing so.
And he is set to reprise his trophy-handling duties this weekend.
Yes, the White House has confirmed Donald Trump will attend the World Cup final.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday: “We look forward to the final match on Sunday, and I know the president looks forward to attending. This is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America’s ability to host the world on the grandest stage.”
Infantino, meanwhile, has confirmed plans for Trump to hand over the World Cup trophy to the winning team.
“That’s always been the plan,” he said. “That’s how it’s always been done in the past – the president of the country where the final is held presents the trophy together with the FIFA president.”







































