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Published 13:04 20 Jul 2026 GMT
President Donald Trump had an unfortunate moment in the spotlight while he was presenting Spain with their winners' medals following the World Cup final on Sunday (July 19).
Spain were victorious over Argentina in the long-awaited conclusion to this summer's competition, winning 1-0 after extra time, thanks to a goal from substitute Ferran Torres.
It was heartbreak for Messi and his Argentina side, at what is likely the sporting legend's final hurrah at the World Cup.
Trump was very much involved in post-match activities, following a post-match brawl between the sides.
Trump spoke to players while handing out losers and winners medals, as some making it very clear that they were not fans of his.
But unsurprisingly, that wasn't the end of the controversy.
The President underwent a walk of shame, as he was booed while walking across the pitch after the final, at the New York-New Jersey stadium on Sunday.
As reported by HuffPost White House reporter S.V. Dáte, jeering could be heard from the crowd, with his coverage echoed on X.
He wrote: “Ambient crowd noise was about 78 decibels. Booing brought it to 84,” which is said to be around the same noise level as a diesel truck driving past.
The President would go on to make headlines as he stayed on stage while Spain lifted the trophy, despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino's attempts to usher him off.
Trump was seen next to the team as smoke machines and confetti cannons went off, before slowly making his way off stage.
SBS, an Australian broadcaster, joked about the moment, which many perceived to be a moment of attention-seeking.
A commentator from the network can be heard saying: “They can edit him out of that,” which the Spanish team seemingly did on social media.
Social media users described Trump as an "embarrassment" following the bizarre moment, with another writing: "Editing Trump OUT is the best idea I’ve heard yet! Let’s just edit him right out of everything."
Spain emerged as 1-0 victors over Messi and his Argentina side, in a scrappy final that likely won't be remembered by many.
La Roja won't care too much, as a stoppage-time half-volley by substitute Ferran Torres sealed the European champions' second-ever World Cup win, 16 years after their 2010 victory.
Their opponents didn't pose too much of a challenge attacking-wise, as Argentina became the first-ever team to go 90 minutes without a shot in a World Cup final.
With that being said, La Albiceleste were scrappy and disciplined in defence, with this reckless style of play leading to Enzo Fernandez being sent off in second-half stoppage time.
Spain will be pleased with the result, which sees a second star being added to their badges, while their captain Rodri was named player of the tournament.
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Published 09:38 20 Jul 2026 GMT
After Argentina’s devastating defeat in the World Cup final, two players were spotted snubbing the US President during the medal ceremony.
Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero were spotted not-so-subtly skipping a handshake with Donald Trump before shaking the hands of the two other hosting heads of state, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney.
In protest of either the result or the widely documented alleged corruption that has plagued the competition, Manchester United centre-back Martinez decided not to shake hands with either FIFA boss Gianni Infantino or Trump during Argentina’s silver medal ceremony.
Unsurprisingly, Infantino also promised Trump the job of handing the victorious Spain captain Rodri the gold trophy.
While the champions, who won 1-0 in extra time, were celebrating their second World Cup win, some Argentina players pounced on their competition and viciously attacked them in anger.
Moments after the final whistle, the losing team’s Leandro Paredes launched himself at Spain’s Gavi. Then, Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch at one of the Spain subs running on to join in with his team-mates’ celebrations.
Tensions were particularly high as the game was set to be legendary soccer player Lionel Messi’s last appearance for his country in an international competition, so he was hoping to go out with a bang.
The 39-year-old was even seen in tears looking at the crowd after the final whistle was blown. However, it was the team’s head coach who appeared the most emotional, even cutting a press conference short as he could not hold back the tears.
Lionel Scaloni, who guided the team to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, questioned his future as the team’s most important player.
He said: “I feel the need to think because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do something as big as this.
“We would have to talk about it. My place is everyone’s dream place. We tried until the very last moment to give our all as a coaching staff, the players too, and I think it’s only fair to consider it. This place is wonderful.
“I never imagined I’d be here. To move forward, a lot of things are needed. Above all, we need to reset, to form a group like this, which is unlikely to ever be formed again. It breaks my heart. I’m sorry.”
Published 12:34 20 Jul 2026 GMT
Fans are convinced the Spanish team deliberately edited Donald Trump out of one of its official victory photos.
On Sunday (July 19), Spain secured its second World Cup title after beating Argentina 1-0 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
They have now added another star to their jersey, 16 years after lifting the trophy for the first time in 2010.
As the first sitting US president to attend a World Cup final on home soil, Trump had the honor of presenting the trophy to the winners.
But instead of stepping aside after handing it over, the 80-year-old remained alongside the celebrating players as they prepared to lift the trophy.
The moment quickly became uncomfortable, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino seen approaching Trump and appearing to encourage him to move away from the team.
Despite this, he stayed on the edge of the stage as Spain celebrated.
"Donald Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he’s trying to steal the spotlight from the team! Can he just get off the stage and let the Spain players have their moment?" one user on X asked.
"Trump is like a toddler running about the altar during a wedding mass and Infantino his mother legging it about after him trying to get him down but not too forcefully in case he has a tantrum," a second slammed.
Many described his presence as "inappropriate," "beyond pathetic," and "embarrassing."
Others pointed out that it echoed last year's Club World Cup final, when Trump also remained front and center as Chelsea celebrated lifting the trophy.
Hours after lifting the trophy, Spain shared a photo of the team's celebrations across its social media channels.
It didn't take long for supporters to speculate that Trump had been edited out of the image, captioned "LOS SUEÑOS SE CUMPLEN," which translates to "DREAMS DO COME TRUE".
"LOL SPAIN EDITED TRUMP OUT OF THE PHOTO," one user wrote. "They edited Trump out," another commented.
"They removed him from the photo. Champions with both honor and self-respect," a third added.
The president spoke about the possibility of the World Cup returning to the United States after the final.
"I had a great idea for Gianni. I said: 'You have to do two countries. So announce us for next time, and then announce another country after that, and it'll take out some of the anger and the shock!' Now I think it's a great idea," Trump said.
"Based on the numbers, we will be requesting it again immediately. I said, to take out the shock, you could announce another country for the next one... but we have to do this again," he added.
The "numbers" Trump referred to are believed to be FIFA's reported financial success from this year's tournament.
Published 09:01 20 Jul 2026 GMT
A lip reader claims to know what Donald Trump said to each player following the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina.
Spain emerged as 1-0 victors over Messi and his Argentina side, in a scrappy final that likely won't be remembered by many.
La Roja won't care too much, as an extra-time half-volley by substitute Ferran Torres sealed the European champions' second-ever World Cup win, 16 years after their 2010 victory.
Their opponents didn't pose too much of a challenge attacking-wise, as Argentina became the first-ever team to go 90 minutes without a shot in a World Cup final.
With that being said, La Albiceleste were scrappy and disciplined in defence, with this reckless style of play leading to Enzo Fernandez being sent off in second-half stoppage time.
But following the final whistle, not only was there a brawl between the two sides, but Trump reportedly repeated the same message to players from both sides.
The US leader was joined by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in the medal ceremony at the New York New Jersey stadium.
He had greeted every player on stage and shaken their hands beforehand, exchanging words with them as they walked past, while Argentinian players Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero blanked his attempts at a handshake.
According to professional lip reader Nicola Hickling, who spoke to the Express via LipReader Ltd, Trump told each Spanish player: "You are a champ," before adding: "Amazing player."
Trump was jeered by many in the stadium as he walked out alongside Infantino, but he still had a prominent part to play in the medal and trophy presentation.
He also presented Spain with the coveted World Cup trophy, loitering on stage as Spanish captain Rodri lifted it with his teammates in celebration.
Despite efforts from Infantino to get the 80-year-old US President off the stage, Trump seemed determined to stay for the trophy lift before stepping off the stage.
While many backed Argentina and their attempt to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, they showed up with a defensive game plan.
In fact, the South American side wouldn't have an attempt on goal until extra time, as they looked to nullify Spain and defend their box for the entirety of the final.
Lionel Messi barely got a sniff in what was likely his last World Cup game, but Spain were made to work to find their winner in the second period of extra time.
Hope looked all but lost after Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card for a wild challenge on Spain's Pau Cubarsi in the 92nd minute of normal time, with Spain playing against 10 men for the entirety of extra time.
Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes, who was booked during the game, could be seen having a scuffle with a few Spanish players after the final whistle, with cameras seeing him lunge at some opponents.
All in all, it wasn't a good look for Messi and co as staff had to get involved to break things up.
Published 13:00 18 Jul 2026 GMT
Donald Trump has unexpectedly weighed in on England's World Cup semi-final defeat, questioning one of Thomas Tuchel's tactical decisions after the Three Lions' dramatic loss to Argentina.
England looked on course to reach their first men's World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1966 after taking the lead in the second half.
However, late goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez completed a turnaround for Argentina, who booked their place in the final against Spain.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Tuchel came under heavy criticism for making defensive substitutions after England went 1-0 up, with many pundits and supporters arguing the changes handed momentum to Argentina.
Despite the backlash, the Football Association has publicly backed the German coach, who is under contract until 2028.
Now, the US President has added his voice to the debate.
Speaking at a FIFA reception in New York on Friday, Trump singled out England captain Harry Kane while questioning why the team's approach became so defensive after taking the lead.
"You have a great player in England, who I played golf with," Trump said. "You know that, right? He is Harry, who's been fantastic."
Trump then appeared to criticise Tuchel's tactics, saying: "I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player."
Referring to England dropping deeper to protect their advantage, he added: "They took the lead, and they took their best player, and they put him on defence."
Although Trump admitted he wasn't an expert on football tactics, he suggested England should have continued to attack rather than sitting back.
"What do I know about soccer?" he said. "We got to be a little offensive, right?... Look, what do I know about coaching?"
Still, he admitted the tactical switch struck him as unusual, adding: "I thought that was a little unusual, but Harry is a great guy actually."
The comments come as the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, prepares to conclude with Argentina facing European champions Spain in the final.
Published 16:24 07 Jul 2026 GMT
After the World Cup’s co-hosts, the USA, lost 4-1 to Belgium last night, missing out on a place in the quarter-finals and being kicked out of the competition, soccer fans have begged the President to pull some strings and get their national team back in the game.
Since the country has been turfed out of the tournament, fans flocked to social media to ask Donald Trump to use his position of power to ask FIFA for another chance to prove themselves.
Fans have faith that a plea from Trump could work, as his request to review US top striker Folarin Balogun’s ban worked and got him back on the pitch.
The team’s top goal-scorer was set to miss out on the match against Belgium after receiving a red card in the US’ previous game against Bosnia and Herzegovina before Trump stepped in.
Unsurprisingly, soccer fans have begged the President to step in again and use his power to get the USA back into the global event of the year.
One soccer fan boldly claimed on social media: “The US can still win the World Cup if Donald Trump has the courage.”
Another person, although seemingly less convinced by Trump’s influence, said: “Do you think Trump will make another phone call to ask them to overturn Belgium’s win? I wouldn’t put it past him.”
A third added: “The officials were totally corrupt. Trump needs to call Gianni.”
Gianni Infantino took over as FIFA president promising to reform the organization following the major 2015 corruption scandal, but his tenure has since been dogged by a string of controversies and ethics questions.
He has faced multiple ethics investigations and controversies of his own, including a Swiss criminal probe into secret, undocumented meetings he held with the country's former Attorney General who was investigating football corruption at the time.
Unsurprisingly, Infantino faced intense criticism over alleged political interference after FIFA abruptly suspended a red-card ban for Balogun immediately following a phone call from Trump.
Despite the pleas from US soccer fans, it appears the co-hosts' World Cup campaign is over for good, regardless of any calls made to FIFA's top brass.
Even if the USA team did make it through the knock-out stages, they would have faced the rather strong Spanish team, and hopes of beating them would be even slimmer.
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