FIFA reportedly willing to let Trump hand World Cup trophy to winning captain at MetLife Stadium
President Donald Trump might be headed for the middle of another FIFA trophy celebration.
And if it happens, the reaction from sports media is utterly predictable.
According to talkSPORT, FIFA has no objection to Trump handing the World Cup trophy directly to the winning captain after the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19. Not only that, but the organization is reportedly willing to let Trump decide whether he wants to remain in the middle of the celebration when the trophy is lifted.
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That would be a major break from normal FIFA protocol.
It would also trigger the usual suspects in sports media to complain about injecting politics into sports, despite their efforts to do exactly that for years (at least when it was their side doing the injecting).
Trump already did a version of this at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, when Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 and the president stayed onstage as captain Reece James lifted the trophy. As the team celebrated by jumping up and down, Trump just stood in the middle, smiling and clapping.
It created an awkward viral moment, but most people laughed it off and moved on.
Well, not the left-wing media. They used it as another example to push their own agenda.
With FIFA reportedly willing to allow Trump to be front and center for the World Cup trophy presentation, it's pretty clear what the reaction will be. That's what makes FIFA's reported stance interesting.
For years, fans were told politics and sports were inseparable. Media urged athletes and leagues to use their "platforms" to push certain messaging.
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Now Trump might hand out the World Cup trophy, and suddenly those same people are going to argue that the World Cup stage is not the place for politics. Funny how that works, isn't it?
To be clear, there’s a legitimate argument that the World Cup trophy lift should be for the players and only the players. Most fans probably don’t want any politician standing in the middle of that shot, whether it’s Trump, another president, a prime minister or a FIFA executive.
That’s a fair position, especially if the winning team isn't the United States.
But it would be a lot easier to take seriously if so many people hadn’t spent the past decade demanding that sports become a vehicle for politics whenever the message matched their worldview.
Trump changes that equation.
The second he’s involved, "politics in sports" is a problem.
FIFA also knows exactly what it’s doing. Gianni Infantino has built close ties with Trump, and the president has already had a prominent role around FIFA events tied to the tournament. According to talkSPORT, Mexican and Canadian officials are expected to be invited to the closing ceremony, which makes sense because the tournament is being co-hosted by all three countries.
But the final is in New Jersey. Trump is the sitting U.S. president. He loves the spotlight. FIFA knows that. The White House knows that. Everyone watching knows that.
He's also made it a point to have a presence at major sporting events. Since returning to the White House, Trump has attended several major sports showcases, including Super Bowl LIX, the Daytona 500, the 2025 U.S. Open men’s tennis final, the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship and Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
It's possible he'll be adding the World Cup final to that list on July 19.
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And then we’ll see whether the people who always wanted politics in sports can handle politics in sports when it’s not their politics.
But we probably already know the answer to that one.