FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Donald Trump will hand the trophy to the winners at the World Cup final, scheduled for 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, alongside the head of the organisation. The gesture is not unprecedented: Trump had already presented the trophy at the 2025 Club World Cup final, in that same stadium, lingering on the podium to the point of surprising some players.
The sequence reflects a tightening institutional relationship between FIFA and the American presidency. In December 2025, during the draw in Washington, Infantino handed Trump an unprecedented "FIFA Peace Prize," and a dedicated task force for the tournament was set up at the White House. The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, brings together 48 teams, the largest format in the competition's history.
A second issue feeds the debate: the American administration has imposed travel restrictions on the Iranian delegation, based in Tijuana and required to leave the territory after each match. The Iranian federation has filed a complaint with FIFA, raising the question of the guarantees the body can offer teams when the host country's foreign policy interferes with the conditions of participation.
Readings of the event diverge. Some actors see a break with the protocol established since 2018, under which only the FIFA president handed over the trophy, and question the body's independence from executive power. Others play this down by recalling the precedent of the Qatari emir in 2022, or emphasise the sporting angle. At the time of the announcement, Trump had attended no match since the tournament opened on 11 June.
