Following Spain’s World Cup victory over Argentina, images shared by FIFA on social media appeared to omit Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. However, the White House subsequently released a series of photographs prominently featuring Trump at the final.
Pictures posted on FIFA’s official social media accounts after the World Cup final, which showed the Spanish team celebrating with the trophy at MetLife Stadium, seemed to be cropped to exclude Trump, who was near the team during their celebrations. A photo shared by the Spanish team on Instagram immediately after the match also did not include Trump, nor did a later 20-slide post depicting the team’s celebrations.
On Monday afternoon, the White House published six images from the final on social media, all of which included Trump. In two of these images, he was the sole person in focus, while only two pictures featured the Spanish team.
Trophy Presentation Incidents
Trump’s presentation of the trophy was described by some commentators as awkward. Infantino reportedly attempted to guide Trump away from the team as they lifted the trophy and confetti was launched. This incident echoed a similar event from the previous year when Trump and Infantino presented the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea. During that occasion, Infantino moved out of the frame, but Trump remained front and centre as the team lifted the trophy.
Chelsea captain Reece James stated after the Club World Cup match that he was informed Trump would “present the trophy, and then exit the stage.” Player Cole Palmer expressed confusion regarding the incident. Defender Marc Cucurella was present at both trophy presentations, first with Chelsea in 2025 and again on Sunday with Spain.
The repeated presence of Trump during the trophy lift marked an unusual end to an evening where he was largely not the focus. Trump watched the match from a glassed-in suite alongside Infantino, Spain’s King Felipe VI, Canada prime minister Mark Carney, and Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also in attendance. At one point in the second half, Trump was observed conversing with Carney.
He was briefly shown on stadium video screens after the US national anthem, which was met with scattered boos. Television broadcasts showed him touching the trophy from his seat early in the match and conversing with Melania Trump in the 85th minute, but he did not appear on the stadium screens during the game itself.
Controversies and Reactions
The hostile reception Trump had received at other sporting events was not widely repeated until he descended to the field to present the World Cup trophy with Infantino and other heads of state. At this point, the majority of the crowd booed and jeered.
Trump presented medals to players alongside other dignitaries, shaking hands and smiling. He and Infantino then held the World Cup trophy together and presented it to Spain’s captain, Rodri, with Infantino moving away. Rodri reportedly motioned for Trump to move to the left of the podium as the Spanish celebrations were about to begin. Trump initially appeared to be leaving but instead remained at the edge of the celebrations, prompting Infantino to make a final plea for him to depart. However, Rodri lifted the trophy with Trump still in the frame. Trump departed after the confetti fell.
Trump and Infantino have been involved in controversies throughout the World Cup. Some FIFA fans accused Infantino of aligning with Trump ahead of the United States hosting the tournament. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter described the organisation as a “dictatorship” in February and accused Infantino of being “submissive” to Trump. Controversy also arose after Trump reportedly called Infantino before FIFA lifted US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, though Trump has stated he did not instruct Infantino on what to do.
Infantino has also faced accusations from some fans that FIFA has favoured Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi. Accusations of FIFA favouring Argentina have existed for years, gaining momentum after Argentina’s controversial win over Egypt, which led the Egyptian team to question “consistency and fairness.”
Spain secured the World Cup title against reigning champions Argentina on Sunday, scoring a single goal in overtime. This victory marked Spain’s first since 2010 and prevented Argentina from becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win consecutive titles. Argentina played the final moments of the match with one less player after Enzo Fernandez received a red card for tackling Spain’s Pau Cubarsí.
Earlier in the World Cup, the US lost 4-1 to Belgium in the last-16 after Trump reportedly called Infantino to successfully get Folarin Balogun’s red card suspended. The New York Knicks also lost their only NBA finals game this year with Trump in attendance at Madison Square Garden, where he received boos.
The World Cup final was a punishing, physical match lasting 120 minutes. Spain’s victory concluded a tournament that saw Argentina receive a red card.
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Source: forbes.com
George Hartwell is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB.org, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with twelve years of reporting experience. He reported on West Country football before national coverage. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from the University of the West of England and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Bristol, he watches grassroots football and writes a tactics column. “Tactics tell you more than any scoreline.”