Donald Trump is gearing up for another major moment on the soccer stage. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the U.S. president will stand alongside him to hand the trophy to the winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

The news had been floating around for days before Infantino made it official. Speaking on Fox & Friends, the FIFA chief said: “We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together,” according to LADbible.

Infantino mentioned during the same interview that he and Trump spend time together “all the time,” and that closeness has been on display before. Back in December, Infantino made waves when he presented Trump with FIFA’s “Peace Prize,” a gesture that drew both praise and criticism depending on who you asked.

This won’t be Trump’s first rodeo, though. At last year’s Club World Cup final, where Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Trump was part of the post-match celebrations, handing out medals to Chelsea’s players and joining in the trophy presentation.

“I was a bit confused”
What nobody seemed to anticipate was that he’d stick around. After the formal handover, Trump stayed on stage as Chelsea’s celebrations got underway, which left more than a few players appearing genuinely baffled.

Reece James spelled it out plainly when asked about it afterward: “They told me that he was going to present the trophy and exit the stage. I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay,” according to LADbible.

Cole Palmer echoed that sentiment. “No, I knew he was going to be there, but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lift the trophy,” he said. “So, I was a bit confused.”

It didn’t stop there, either. Donald Trump also sparked headlines after he was seen discussing the potential bombing of Iran while Juventus players stood in the background, another instance of sports and politics colliding in an awkward and unexpected way.