President Donald Trump will be handing out the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy at New York New Jersey Stadium following the final game, the organization’s President Gianni Infantino said Tuesday.Infantino told Fox News that he and Trump will attend the final game together and present the FIFA World Cup Trophy to the winning team.“We will be together with the president, enjoying the final, and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together,” Infantino said on Fox and Friends. The soccer organization president added the two are “always together.”
Trump has joined Infantino in bestowing soccer champions with a trophy before, presenting the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea last year. During the exchange, Trump handed the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James and remained on stage celebrating with the team even after Infantino walked off.Following what became a viral moment, Chelsea player Cole Palmer said he was “a bit confused” about why Trump was on the stage. James, however, said the president congratulated him and told the team to “enjoy the moment.”Trump has had a close friendship with Infantino since his first term, when the joint United States-Canada-Mexico bid was selected to host the 2026 World Cup. Infantino gifted Trump a soccer ball, a personalized jersey, and red and yellow cards at the time. Later in 2020, Infantino offered a flattering introduction for Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.Trump refers to the soccer chief as “Johnny,” and the two have played golf and taken international trips together. At one point, Infantino was accused by FIFA’s former head of the governance committee of violating the organization’s political neutrality rules.HOW WORLD CUP TOURISTS HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH AMERICA, AND AMERICA HAS FALLEN IN LOVE WITH TOURISTSIn December 2025, Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World” for having brokered peace between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, as well as a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The award seemed to be Infantino offering a symbolic replacement of the Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump had been vying for.The World Cup Final will be played at the same venue where Trump handed the trophy to Chelsea. The game is scheduled for July 19.
