Trump Will Attend World Cup Final, FIFA Reception At Trump Tower
President Donald Trump will attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower this week before appearing at the World Cup final on Sunday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday, marking the first and only game of the tournament the president will go to.
Trump will attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower on Friday, Leavitt told reporters, saying the president’s attendance will “cap what has been the most watched, most secure, and most successful World Cup in American history.”
Argentina and Lionel Messi will face off against Spain and Lamine Yamal at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The championship matchup is the most expensive sporting event in U.S. history, with ticket prices reaching an average of $11,327, according to TickPick.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be in attendance, telling reporters Thursday he is “excited for a good game” after all the teams he has rooted for were knocked out of the tournament. Popular livestreamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, will make an appearance as part of his World Cup streaming series, some of which was broadcast on Fox Sports. The streamer is part of a group of celebrities who will perform in the closing ceremony before the final, which will also feature Post Malone, Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger. Jennifer Hudson has been selected as Sunday’s U.S. national anthem singer. While their attendance is not confirmed, celebrities who could possibly attend include Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, the former of whom has attended multiple Spain games, David and Victoria Beckham, who have been spotted at some U.S. and England games, and Ryan Reynolds, who is a massive soccer fan and co-owner of the Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC. David Beckham is the owner of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, which signed Argentina legend Lionel Messi in 2023.
FIFA opened an office at Trump Tower last year and unveiled the Club World Cup trophy alongside Eric Trump. The location is just one of two offices FIFA has in the U.S. and was viewed as a cementing of the friendly relationship between Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, which dates back to Trump’s first term. Their friendship has come under close scrutiny during the World Cup after Trump said he personally called Infantino to ask for a review of the red card and one-match suspension issued against U.S. striker Folarin Balogun. The suspension was unexpectedly overturned and Balogun was able to participate in the round of 16 matchup against Belgium, which ended in an embarrassing 4-1 defeat for the U.S. Trump’s call was widely seen as scandalous by international audiences, which blasted FIFA for citing an obscure rule in changing the suspension and claiming the U.S. was getting special treatment by it being invoked. Balogun said after the loss that the situation generated "a lot of outside noise" and caused "a bit of nerves" among teammates.