U.S. President Donald Trump was greeted with a chorus of boos when he walked onto the field after the World Cup Final.
Video footage captured Trump refusing to leave the podium until FIFA president Gianni Infantino tried to usher him away.
“Beyond pathetic. Trump wouldn’t leave the podium during Spain’s World Cup trophy celebration until FIFA President Gianni Infantino pulled him away,” one commented online.
Donald Trump was greeted with a chorus of boos when he walked onto the field after the World Cup Final
Football fans saw a tense World Cup final as Spain took on Argentina, clinching a 1–0 victory at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.
Following the nail-biting finish, Donald Trump branded the 2026 World Cup as “one of the greatest events of any kind ever held.”
“There has never been anything like it, probably in terms of an event, let alone soccer or football, whatever you want to call it,” he said.
He claimed it was “four times greater than any FIFA ever held, and it’s probably about five times, actually, they’re telling me today.”
Donald Trump seemed to enjoy his two seconds in the sun when he joined the trophy ceremony.
But the crowd booed him as he stepped on the field with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“Trump just got drowned in boos at the World Cup. For a man obsessed with crowd size and applause, that one had to hurt,” read one comment online
Trump and Infantino are loudly jeered as they walk out to present the World Cup trophy. pic.twitter.com/sqxPd0o2CS
— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) July 19, 2026
The American president greeted Spain’s players with handshakes and some back-patting before they received the World Cup trophy.
He then stayed on the podium, leaving only after Infantino seemingly tried to usher him away.
What it sounded like when President Trump walked onto the field with FIFA head Gianni Infantino for the World Cup trophy presentation pic.twitter.com/qEIo327rcp
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) July 19, 2026
Netizens claimed it was “no surprise he got booed.”
“I would boo him too. He is certainly hated by so many around the world,” one said.
“It’s to be expected when he had no business on the field,” read a second comment.
Trump presented the trophy to the winning team just after Jennifer Hudson performed the national anthem
A third said, “Im surprised he didn’t b**ch that he deserves the credit for them winning or even the trophy for that matter!”
“Omg President Trump is funny he wanted to celebrate,” read a fourth comment, “i knew he would photo bomb Spain im sure they didn’t want him in their photo.”
“Probably made the whole world boo at home, too,” commented a fifth.
President Donald J. Trump presents the World Cup Trophy to Spain, the 2026 @FIFAWorldCup Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/SHsoBhYm1b
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 19, 2026
During the game, Trump was captured sitting in a suite next to first lady Melania Trump.
Also in the box were his sons Eric Trump and Barron Trump, and other high-profile figures like Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, King Felipe VI, and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Trump presented the trophy to the winning team just after Jennifer Hudson performed the national anthem.
After the US hosted the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada, Trump claimed his nation had become a “soccery country.”
“It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it’s going to remain,” Trump said Friday at a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York City. “This has really brought the world together.”
Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said the Trump administration parted ways with billions in federal funding for the World Cup.
It was “not just a safe and secure event, not just where we welcomed the world, but an event that was filled with integrity,” Giuliani claimed.
“It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it’s going to remain,” Trump said
BREAKING – Donald Trump getting booed mercilessly at the World Cup Finals award ceremony!
It was so bad Ishowspeed thought people were fighting 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/sRyswvpBWd
— DonkConnects ♻️™ (@donkoclock) July 19, 2026
The final showdown on Sunday was the culmination of several controversies, including Trump making a phone call to Infantino over a red card given to Team USA’s star forward Folarin Balogun.
The American striker had received a straight red card during the Team USA’s previous victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which should have been an automatic one-match suspension for him, as per FIFA regulations.
Critics also blamed US President Donald Trump for lobbying to have FIFA reverse the decision, so that Balogun would be on the field for the knockout match.
Infantino was also accused of cozying up to the US president and reviewing the red card given to Balogun.
After FIFA reversed the decision, Trump praised Infantino during the FIFA reception on Friday.
“You made another great decision, if you think about it,” he said.
Infantino called the tournament “the greatest (FIFA) World Cup of all time during the reception, hosted at Trump Tower in New York.
He sang praises for Trump, saying, “The World Cup was “the greatest human, social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed and seen, and we are all part of it, and for this I thank you very much, Mr President.”
“He was trying stay on longer on that stage when Spain was celebrating,” read one comment online
