Spain seemingly could not avoid what happened last summer.
The winners of the 2026 World Cup, defeating Argentina 1–0 in Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium, gathered on the championship stage for their traditional celebratory team picture and were promptly photo-bombed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had assisted FIFA president Gianni Infantino in (arguably the one-man job of) handing the team the golden World Cup trophy.
All of a sudden, it was the 2025 Club World Cup again, seeing Trump stand among the Chelsea players while they hoisted their trophy on the championship stage, also in East Rutherford, N.J.
Spain’s captain, the 30-year-old star midfielder Rodri, who also won the tournament’s Golden Ball, was seen trying to politely usher Trump off the stage after taking the trophy. Infantino was also shown jogging up to Trump and lightly tapping him on the arm and pointing to the side of the field, to encourage him to get out of the frame.
The moment Spain lifted the trophy, and Gianni Infantino once again hilariously failed to get Donald Trump out of the photo-op: pic.twitter.com/LCuUe10BVJ
— Margaret Fleming (@mgfleming12) July 19, 2026
It was to no avail, as Trump remained on the right side of the Spanish cohort by the time Rodri hoisted the World Cup trophy up in celebration.
Spain, however, simply photoshopped the President out of the shot before posting to its social media channels later that evening.
🙌🏼🏆 LOS SUEÑOS SE CUMPLEN.#VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/yBbtjvKmg2
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) July 19, 2026
President Trump Heavily Booed at World Cup Final
Directly after Jennifer Hudson’s national anthem performance, the cameras flashed to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who were sitting beside Infantino in a stadium box for the game. The crowd immediately erupted into resounding boos, a similar reception to the one the President received at Madison Square Garden during Game 3 of the NBA Finals in early June.
Trump was also booed heavily while walking out onto the pitch after the match for the trophy celebration.
President Trump joins Gianni Infantino on the pitch after the FIFA World Cup Final pic.twitter.com/QQkSq0ZjUq
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 19, 2026
The World Cup final was the first of the summer’s matches that Trump attended; however, it was not the first time he became involved in the tournament.
Trump faced significant backlash after interfering in the red card call of U.S. men’s national team star striker Folarin Balogun. The President admitted to calling up his close friend Infantino about the referee’s controversial decision. Balogun’s red card was suspended one day before the USMNT played in the round of 16 against Belgium, enabling Balogun to take the pitch. UEFA, Belgium and other federations questioned the potential of “political interference” in soccer’s most prestigious competition.
Infantino also gave Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize back in December during the World Cup draw; however, there were no listed nominees or finalists for the award. FIFA also offered few details on how Trump or the future honorees are determined.
