Donald Trump Booed on the Field After Spain Wins World Cup Final

 

NEED TO KNOW

• President Donald Trump was in attendance at the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, July 19
• The president was booed by the crowd as he made his way to the field for the medals and trophy presentation
• Trump previously sparked World Cup fans’ ire when he personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask him to refuse the quarterfinal red card received by U.S. striker Folarin Balogun

U.S. President Donald Trump was in attendance for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, July 19, and the fans let him know how they felt about it.

As he waited to present the championship trophy to Spain after their 1-0 win over Argentina, the president was seated in a private box at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., which was renamed the “New York New Jersey Stadium” for the duration of the World Cup.

As Trump joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino on the field to present players with their medals, fans at the stadium rang out in boos. The president was seen waving to people in the stands as they audibly expressed their resistance to his presence at the game.

Lionel Messi (L) accepts his silver medal from Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump at the 2026 World Cup final.

During the match, the president was joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as well as his son Eric Trump, his wife Melania Trump and their son Barron in the suite, which also hosted a number of notable politicians and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, according to Politico reporter Sophia Cai.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain and Andrew Giuliani also took in the action from Trump’s suite.

President Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the FIFA World Cup Final.

Eva Marie Uzcategui - FIFA/FIFA via Getty

Spain defeated Lionel Messi and Argentina 1-0 in the final, with Ferran Torres scoring the only goal of the game in the 106th minute of the match.

Shortly before kickoff on Sunday, Trump spoke to Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft about the success of the United States hosting the World Cup this summer. Trump said Infantino “had this idea” and initially, while the president told him “we’re not a soccer country,” Trump said, “It turns out we are a soccer country.”

“I don’t think there’s ever been anything like what’s happened with the whole World Cup, it’s been beautiful to watch,” Trump told Taft.

Trump provoked the ire of World Cup fans earlier in the tournament when he made a personal phone call to Infantino, asking him to review the red card and subsequent suspension received by U.S. striker Folarin Balogun in the round of 32.

The suspension was ultimately overturned, allowing Balogun to play in the United States’ round of 16 game against Belgium, leading many international fans to call foul play. “All I did, I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump, 80, said at the time. “I saw the play, and I’m a person who loves sports and was a good athlete. That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction.”

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Balogun did play, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Belgium defeated the U.S., 4-1, to advance to the quarterfinals, and the victorious country made sure Trump knew what they thought of his meddling with some light trolling afterward.

After celebrating, a video posted by BBC Sport showed the Belgian squad huddling together to bask in their victory, before breaking out into dance. They appeared to be mimicking the moves that Trump gained popularity for during his 2024 presidential campaign.

Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring during the U.S.-Belgium game on July 6; President Donald Trump dances on the 2024 campaign trail.

Getty(2)

Trump’s relationship with FIFA has become significantly more controversial during his second presidential term. In July 2025, while presenting the awards for the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup to Chelsea, he was accused of pocketing one of the championship medals.

Then there was the concern over how the Trump administration would oversee the World Cup, an international tournament for players and fans alike, while continuing to expand foreign travel bans and launch aggressive immigration raids.

In July 2025, 90 civil society groups signed an open letter urging FIFA to press Trump on his policies ahead of the massive sporting event.

“We call on FIFA to use its influence to encourage the U.S. government to guarantee the fundamental rights of the millions of foreign visitors and fans who seek entry to the U.S. to attend the tournaments, and those of the constitutional rights of the many immigrants who already live, work, and contribute meaningfully to the cities selected to host them,” the letter read.

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Instead, the sporting organization created the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize to award Trump in an attempt to curry more favor from the president, who has continued to repeat his belief that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for getting involved with a growing list of international conflicts.

After the 2025 Nobel went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, FIFA presented Trump with his own Peace Prize in December 2025.

“You definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action, for what you have obtained in your way, but you obtained it in an incredible way,” Infantino said as he presented the president with the award. “And you can always count, Mr. President, on my support, on the support of the entire … soccer community to help you make peace and make the world prosper.”