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It was only a matter of time before U.S. President Donald Trump made his mark on the 2026 World Cup, hosted predominantly on American soil.
Having skipped all 102 matches played across the U.S., Canada and Mexico this summer, Trump is poised to take center stage at Sunday's final. To ensure his presence was felt ahead of Spain and Argentina's clash in the haze of New Jersey, the President orchestrated a bizarre press conference on Friday evening.
Standing next to the gleaming World Cup trophy and behind the presidential seal, Trump held forth, drifting from tactical breakdowns of the knockout rounds to commentary on opera singers. Billionaires were called to their feet like misbehaving students before the class, and the prospect of a future intercontinental World Cup was tossed around with amusement.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, visibly uncomfortable throughout much of Trump's rambling at his left side, grabbed the opening minutes of attention by declaring the 2026 World Cup "the greatest human, social and culture event that mankind has ever witnessed." The 16 minutes that followed ranked among the most peculiar in recent memory.
Criticism of Thomas Tuchel's England Tactics
"What do I know about soccer?" Trump repeated throughout his address. It seemed he knew enough to weigh in on the backlash England manager Thomas Tuchel has faced following his side's underwhelming semifinal exit against Argentina.
Like many detractors, Trump felt the Three Lions adopted an overly defensive approach after going ahead 1–0. Notably, the President singled out Harry Kane's positioning as a specific concern.
"You have a great player in England who I play golf with. You know that, right? Harry, who's been fantastic. I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player," Trump argued.
"They took the lead, and they took their best player, and they put him on defense. Now, we got to be a little offensive, right?
"But no, I'm not going to call it. Look, what do I know about coaching? But that was a little unusual."
Tuchel has firmly stood by his choices, contending—with some merit—that he was merely reinforcing the defensive shape his players had already settled into. When pressed specifically about Kane's role, the German manager responded: "That's what you do if [you] defend in a block. That's what team spirit and mentality is translated to. If we are pushed back in a deep block then Harry defends in a deep block."
Lionel Messi Adoration
Revisiting that chaotic England-Argentina semifinal, Trump heaped praise on Lionel Messi's contribution to the decisive goal. "I watched that pass that Messi made," he began. "Not knowing as much as the people in this room, I know about sports, and I know a little bit about soccer. But I watched Messi, and he was well-guarded, right? Well-guarded.
"And all of a sudden, he's standing on the right. Do you understand what I'm talking about? I don't know if anybody... I just noticed it. Nobody talked about it. I just noticed it. I said, 'He's so well-guarded by a great player.' And then he moved to the right, and the other player was just standing there.
"And he had plenty of time. He kicked it. It was within, I would say, a quarter of an inch of being perfect. And that was the end of the game. It was brilliant. And he's a great guy."
Messi had indeed drifted to the right flank as England retreated into an increasingly deep defensive block, echoing the wide position from which he had orchestrated Argentina's comeback against Egypt in the round of 16.
Cristiano Ronaldo Gets His Shoutout
After mentioning Kane and Messi, Trump felt the need to pay tribute to one of the few soccer stars he has hosted in the Oval Office — Cristiano Ronaldo.
"These great players, they seem to do that over and over again," the President observed. "They're just born with something extra. Ronaldo is one of them. I got to know him over the years and he's a great guy."
Unlike Kane and Messi, Ronaldo's tournament with Portugal came to an early end in the round of 16. The 41-year-old did manage the first World Cup knockout-stage goal of his career — and became the first player in the competition's history to score in six separate editions — but departed his final tournament appearance in tears.
Further Insight Into Folarin Balogun Debacle
Trump's most significant contribution to the tournament — perhaps before this peculiar speech — was the prominent role he played in ensuring U.S. striker Folarin Balogun could feature in the round of 16 clash against Belgium despite receiving a red card in the previous match. The President was quick to revisit the episode.
"This has been a tournament like no other," he declared. "Filled with fierce competition. Unforgettable moments. Like, probably the most unforgettable is when they gave that gentleman... Is it a red card? And I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation.
"I said, 'Gianni, I'd like to make a recommendation. Let the guy in the game.'" As Infantino's expression twisted uncomfortably beside him, Trump quickly clarified, "No, I didn't say that. I said, 'I'd like to wage a complaint.'"
"I had no idea what was going to happen," he went on. "But it was so much better the way it worked out because there's no controversy. They won the game, and our team had all of its players."
Despite Trump's assertion, the episode generated considerable controversy. A World Cup red card carries an automatic one-match suspension with no avenue for appeal. The fact that a sitting head of state could intervene in any capacity raises serious questions about the integrity of the entire tournament.
Trump inadvertently deepened the shadow hanging over the incident by portraying Infantino as the one who ultimately granted Balogun a reprieve — a claim FIFA's president had strongly rejected, insisting the decision rested with the independent disciplinary panel.
"You made another great decision, if you think about that," Trump said, turning to Infantino and patting him on the arm. "No, you'll never get credit. You'll never get credit for this. Think of it, if he didn't allow him, and then they could say, 'We would have won the game if we had our best players.' So Gianni made yet another of his many good decisions."
More World Cups in the U.S.
Trump opened and closed his address by singing the praises of opera singer Christopher Macchio, whom he repeatedly likened to Luciano Pavarotti. But before that unusual bookend, the U.S. President turned his attention to the prospect of a future World Cup on American soil.
"I'm really working these people hard because they really call the shots. They tell Gianni exactly what to do," Trump chuckled, glancing at the FIFA officials seated in the front row. "I say, what we should do is you should choose the United States of America again. This time we'll leave Mexico and Canada out."
"I was very nice to get them in," Trump added over laughter from the crowd, before continuing: "You choose us. But you pick somebody else for the next one. And that will take some of the anger, hatred and steam out of everyone."
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The President appeared unaware that the 2030 and 2034 World Cup hosts have already been determined.
"Gianni also had another idea," Trump continued, drawing a puzzled squint from Infantino. "He said we could do it China and the United States for the next time. We do China, United States. So you have a nice short flight in between games. The players would love that."