For Argentina and Spain, a huge amount will be on the line during the Fifa World Cup final. But for one man in attendance, there might be even more riding on the event.
Donald Trump’s decision to preside over the World Cup final in person is a roll of the dice by a US President who – just weeks ago – was on the receiving end of excoriating jeer sand boos at Madison Square Garden in New York, just twenty miles from Sunday’s venue.
That night, he attended the NBA’s championship game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. The reception he received in the Democratic Party stronghold wasn’t unexpected, but it must surely have angered the US President, who isn’t known to take public ridicule and criticism well.
The headlines then were big, but if he receives a similar reception at the MetLife Stadium, capacity 82,500, with hundreds of millions watching from all around the world, it would be far worse.
Fans appeared to boo Gianni Infantino, Fifa’s President, during the France vs Spain semi-final. However, broadcasters ITV and FOX said the jeers were actually aimed at Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
Trump is now placing his fate in the hands of largely Argentine and Spanish supporters, at a time when his Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol deportation agents continue to make life miserable for Latino immigrants living illegally in the US.
The US war with Iran has also sent Trump’s approval ratings plummeting, and his refreshed efforts this week to undermine faith in the integrity of America’s electoral system won’t have gone down well with some ahead of November’s crucial midterm elections.
An unprecedented security operation is being laid on to protect the US President, with F-16 fighter jets providing air cover, military snipers on hand in the stadium itself and counter-drone technology being deployed.
The US Government knows that the war with Iran has made the World Cup final an even more tempting target. Fans have been warned to expect long delays at security checkpoints surrounding the venue, with Trump’s top World Cup tsar, Andrew Giuliani, saying it’s the biggest security operation in US sporting history.
Trump is overjoyed with the way in which the World Cup has passed off, and regularly lays justifiable claim to having persuaded Infantino that the US, along with Mexico and Canada, could be successful stewards of the tournament.
Trump’s fingerprints have been all over this World Cup (Photo: Annabelle Gordon/Getty)Never before has any host become so involved in Fifa decision-making, with Trump even calling up Infantino to help get the red card issued to US striker Folarin Balogun, which would have ruled him out for the next game, suspended. The move was widely seen as an attempt by the US President to rig the outcome of the contest in the host country’s favour.
Despite regularly conceding that he knows nothing about football, Trump has provided a running commentary on the contest and made suggestions for rule changes that he believes would improve the game.
At a Fifa reception in New York on Friday – held at Trump Tower, naturally – the US President offered a critique of England manager Thomas Tuchel’s substitution decisions during the semi-final against Argentina.
He has also indicated that he believes the sport is fatally plagued by requiring even the world’s most famous players to observe the rules of the game. “I didn’t know what the hell a red card was,” Trump told reporters on 6 July. “When I found out, I said ‘You’ve got to be kidding’… We have to have all the best players on the field,” he said, calling red cards and match suspensions “terrible”.
Trump has also succeeded in Americanising the World Cup to a degree few would have thought possible before the tournament kicked off.
The introduction of the now-infamous “hydration breaks” was presented as an answer to America’s soaring summer temperatures. But for US television networks, the breaks proved to be a gift worth around $250m in additional advertising revenues.
For years, networks have been wary of football’s two 45-minute uninterrupted halves. Now, with Trump’s support, they have found a way of jamming commercials into the middle of every match.
There will also be a half-time show during the final, featuring Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber and South Korea’s BTS. Never before has football been delayed by the celebrity-soaked pageants that accompanies – and sometimes overshadows – the NFL’s Super Bowl.
The show is poised to breach International Football Association Board rules that require half-time breaks not to exceed 15 minutes, but Infantino and Trump don’t seem to care. It will also provide TV networks with another commercial-friendly environment in which to make even more advertising dollars.
And once the match’s final whistle is blown, all eyes will again be on Trump.
Trump stayed on the stage as Chelsea players celebrated their Fifa Club World Cup 2025 victory (Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty)One year ago, after presenting the Fifa Club World Cup award to Chelsea at the same stadium, the US President awkwardly joined the team’s celebrations, remaining at the centre of events even as Fifa officials attempted to escort him away.
Similar efforts may occur tonight, and the world can only wonder whether Trump will seek to dance with Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal, hoist the trophy above his own head, or – uncharacteristically – allow the celebrations to continue without him.
An estimated two billion people will be watching around the world, and at the White House there will be nervousness about how the crowd behaves and how the US President navigates a game of two halves and the celebrations that follow.
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