Reports have emerged from multiple sources that US President Donald Trump will be allowed to join the winning World Cup team as they lift the World Cup trophy in July. Multiple sources have stated that Trump will be the one to present the World Cup trophy to the winning captain, a break of tradition from standard presentations ceremonies.
This adds to the variety of poor decisions from FIFA and the US government that place Donald Trump and the US in centre stage of the tournament, and follows on from a variety of bizarre moves from FIFA in an attempt to appease the 80-year-old President.
Trump to present winners with the World Cup trophy
Last year, the United States hosted the FIFA Club World Cup, a competition that pits the greatest club teams in the world against each other. The tournament on the whole was somewhat of a disaster, with empty seats galore.
The tournament was eventually won by English side Chelsea, who lifted the World Cup trophy with Donald Trump standing awkwardly in the middle of the squad, drawing awkward looks from multiple members of the Chelsea squad as he stole the show.
It seems he’s set to repeat the trick, but this time with the biggest tournament of them all: the FIFA World Cup, the single most popular sporting event in the world, drawing billions of viewers from all around the world. It’s also one of the most bet-on events in the world, and you can find out the best betting app for soccer at GOAL.
Now, it seems that Donald Trump is hijacking the tournament for his own personal gain.
FIFA boss continues to bow to Trump
The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has become known as FIFA President for getting cosy with world leaders. He’s famously friendly with the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Selman, and it’s been no different with the US President. In this case, though, the relationship is much more obviously sycophantic.
The relationship between the two reached its most cartoonish when Infantino created the FIFA Peace Prize, an award designated for a person who has “taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace… [and] united people across the world.” The award was believed to be an alternative for Trump after he missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize.
The award was presented to Trump in December 2025 during the World Cup draw, just one month before he kidnapped Venezuela’s President and three months before he began a prolonged bombing campaign on the nation of Iran, which included the murder of their leader. Notably, Iran are also playing in the World Cup, despite being in a ceasefire stage for their war against the United States.
