President Donald Trump hosted FIFA President Gianni Infantino at a reception following the 2026 World Cup final, highlighting the tournament as a victory for the United States. The event capped over a year of logistical coordination with Canada and Mexico, juxtaposed with the administration's strict immigration policies and international tensions, including a war with Iran. While early concerns about visa decisions and immigration raids were raised, the broader narrative shifted to fans enjoying U.S. culture, with many pre-event fears failing to materialize.
President Donald Trump listens as FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at a reception at Trump Tower in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026. President Donald Trump listens as FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at a reception at Trump Tower in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026.
President Donald Trump listens as FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at a reception at Trump Tower in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026. trophy to the winner of Sunday’s final between Argentina and Spain. But to him, the real victor of soccer’s premier tournament just might be the United States.
FIFA receptionFor the White House, Sunday’s match is the culmination of well over a year of navigating a litany of logistical challenges alongside co-hosts Canada and Mexico for what would be the biggest World Cup in history. It had to balance the Trump administration’s hard-line migration policies thatthat did not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and in the weeks before the tournament’s start, local authorities sparred with FIFA over As the first games were preparing to begin, the administration continued to find itself under global scrutiny for its visa decisions, such aswho had won accolades for his officiating.
The pressure increased after Trump launched a war with Iran, leaving the administration to grapple withBut the broader story of the World Cup eventually shifted. Social media was flooded with tales of soccer fans from around the world enjoying the treats and traditions of the U.S., from beer to ranch dressing. Some fears about the Trump administration that circulated beforehand, such as the threat of immigration enforcement raids near the games, never materialized.
“One of the things that we talked about beforehand was, if we’re talking about what happened on the pitch, then we’ve done our job,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But I think it’s even better than that. We’re not just talking about only the incredible, athletic feats on the pitch, but we’re talking about all these incredible, incredible cultural moments.
” Still, Trump did create controversy with a phone call he made to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino earlier this month in which heto U.S. star forward Folarin Balogun, meaning he wouldn’t be able to play in the subsequent match against Belgium.and Trump told Infantino at the FIFA reception on Friday that “you made another great decision, if you think about it," because it allowed the U.S. to keep a key player on the field even though the team lost the match to Belgium 4-1. Giuliani said the administration had a “duty” to ask questions and raise concerns about the officiating process, which drew scrutiny because of the use of video review and slow-motion replay to issue the red card.
He noted that the Trump administration invested billions in federal funding to ensure that the World Cup was “not just a safe and secure event, not just where we welcomed the world, but an event that was filled with integrity. ” The Trump administration was under considerable pressure to pull off a successful World Cup tournament because the U.S. will soon host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
The U.S. is also largely expected to be awarded the 2031 Women’s World Cup, although Giuliani said in the AP interview that part of getting those hosting duties will be “ensuring that, in fact, women and only women will play in that 2031 Women’s World Cup” — an allusion to the Trump administration’s fierce opposition to transgender women participating in women’s sports. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J.
, a self-professed World Cup superfan whose home state is hosting Sunday’s final, noted that logistics for the tournament have gone mostly smoothly, aside from the occasional hiccups on some issues such as transit to the games. But “overall, just the joy that people have, the excitement that they have, has dramatically outweighed” any downsides, Kim said, who has been eagerly watching the games with his two young sons over the last several weeks.
The U.S. also faced broader tensions with its World Cup co-hosts of Canada and Mexico. Trump announced stiff tariffs on both countries in his return to the White House, and he has chosen not to renew a trade pact among the three countries, setting up a new period of negotiations.
On Friday, Trump threatened to tariff Canada over its wildfires, which have hurt air quality in parts of the U.S., including northern New Jersey where the World Cup final is being held. He joked on Friday that FIFA should choose the U.S. for the World Cup soon again, and “this time, we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out.
” Still, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney plan to attend the final at Trump’s request, in a sign that soccer can overcome some geopolitical tensions.from President Trump to attend the World Cup final on Sunday, and I decided to go because it’s a direct invitation from the President of the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
“Prime Minister Carney will also be there. ” Trump, as is generally customary for heads of state hosting the tournament, will present the trophy to the eventual winner. But he hasn't tipped his hand publicly about whether he has a preferred team.and its refusal to let the U.S. launch strikes against Iran from its bases.
Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei is a favorite of the Trump administration, with the U.S. president going as far as to threaten toKim reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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