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Trump at the 2026 World Cup awards: the ultimate awkward wedding guest
Picture it: the reception is in full swing, the happy couple just tied the knot with the trophy, and here comes that one relative who hates half the table but must be in every photo. That was Donald Trump – centre stage, smiling for the cameras while radiating “I’m the real star here”.
He stood next to Canada’s Carney and Mexico’s Sheinbaum like they’d crashed his party instead of co-hosting the tournament. Zero warmth, just polite nods and the body-language equivalent of “smile through it, folks.” King Felipe got the same treatment: a handshake so stiff you could’ve used it to stir drinks. And when it was time to hand over the trophy? Trump did it with all the enthusiasm of someone whose preferred team got knocked out in the group stage – especially after that NATO-spending spat with Sanchez.
Even FIFA’s Gianni Infantino, professional Trump-courter-in-chief, looked mildly mortified watching the U.S. president photobomb the Spaniards’ big lift-the-Cup moment.
It happened again! Trump lingers on the stage as Infantino tries to direct him off of it so Spain can lift the World Cup trophy. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ZvZSb67wbL
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) July 19, 2026
We can imagine Infantino saying: “Donald, please – the King is right there, the protocol…”
And Trump replying: “Protocol? I love protocol. But these players, let’s be honest, they need me, they need that American energy.”
To Trump, bless him, soccer is probably just another sport where the ball is round and the scores are too low – until he decided to rewrite the rulebook himself. After U.S. striker Folarin Balogun picked up a straight red card (for what looked like an accidental foot-stomp), Trump reportedly picked up the phone to Infantino and made it very clear: lift that suspension or… well, rumours swirled that the whole championship might suddenly find itself in need of a new host. FIFA blinked, suspended the ban on probation, and suddenly Balogun was back on the pitch like a get-out-of-jail-free card had been issued from the Oval Office. Classic Trump: zero grasp of the sport’s sacred traditions, 100% understanding of leverage. Football purists clutched their pearls, but the man turned a red card into a presidential pardon faster than you can say “VAR controversy.”
Then there were the “hydration pauses” – FIFA’s polite euphemism for slipping in a quick ad break while pretending it was all about player welfare. With Infantino’s gentle (and very cooperative) blessing, these mandatory three-minute timeouts hit every match around the 22nd and 67th minutes, rain or shine, heat or air-conditioning. Critics called it the Americanisation of football; Infantino called it “sporting equity.” Same difference. And for the grand finale? The first-ever World Cup final halftime show turned MetLife into a glittery Super Bowl fever dream: Madonna rolling in on a dune buggy, Shakira and Burna Boy lighting up the pitch, BTS dropping Dynamite, Justin Bieber doing the acoustic thing, and even the Muppets getting involved. It was less “half-time breather” and more “11-minute global variety spectacular” that stretched the break well past the rulebook’s comfort zone. Because nothing says “beautiful game” like pausing the beautiful game for maximum entertainment – and maximum eyeballs on the sponsors. Pure hydration, of course.
Despite of all this, America threw a damn good World Cup. Great crowds, drama on the pitch, and memories galore. Trump played the role – to the perfection – of that guest who shows up late, complains about the playlist, insists on being in every picture… and still somehow ends up in the highlight reel. Classic.
Caption: Still frame from the scene of World Cup lifting. Infantino makes a desperate attempt to take Trump out of the picture.
